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"The Agency: Meeting of Souls "Written By: Karina Pairings 13x6 [eventual], 5xS, 3x4, Others undecided at this time. Warnings: Extreme Alternate Universe setting. Unbetaed, Aussie spelling and grammar, not much else in the early chapters though it will involve murder, stalking and possibly some colourful language down the track. Some Out Of Character depictions are unavoidable considering the alternate universe setting. Rating: M [In Australia that would be mature adult 15+] Not sure with the new rating system about international ratings. Rated for violence and language and adult concepts. Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. That's about as plain as you could say it. Summary: The world took a very different turn with the acknowledgement of psychic abilities and training of select psychic individuals enlisted in elite fields such as law enforcement and politics. A grading system for the strength of psionic abilities was developed and those who were the top of the elite have been dubbed Prime Talents and are highly sought after. Elite institutions have been developed to mark, train and employ individuals with useable psionic talents. The colonies of canon Gundam Wing do exist in this fic and were constructed before the psionic system was founded. With the advent of psionics in open use in society younger people are appearing in positions of power as they are awakening to their abilities earlier and are highly trained in their fields of expertise. Archive: Gundam Wing Universe [gundam-wing-universe.net]
//…// Thoughts
Chapter Twenty Three The laboratory seemed preternaturally quiet as the minutes ticked away and the technicians attended to their stations, careful to look only at the data streaming before them. It was clear they wished to be seen to be attending to the test and not to be concerning themselves with the conversation they could not avoid having heard. They had no desire to be caught up in the world wielding machinations of the old woman sitting so primly to one side, dark eyes twinkling with silent amusement. For Treize, from this day on, Gabriella would forever be marked as a woman who shook the world, not merely his world. Treize, watching in silence, knew that not one of the technicians would carry this tale beyond the laboratory. None of them wished to be caught up in the world shaking aftermath. It was clear enough to him that they were approaching a crossroads, where the path of the world would be decided by a few and followed by the many. Whether the changes would be for better or worse could only be revealed by the passage of time as the world turned. The Dean, Treize noted, was looking more than a little pale. Rather than watch Gabriella in silent trepidation, the man looked to be lost deeply in his own contemplation of the revelation of the path being taken toward the future. He had a right to be concerned, given it would fall to he and people like him to take on the duty of training those tagged as being psychically aware. Should events work as Gabriella suggested there would be insufficient training institutes for the influx of the Psi aware the program would uncover. Treize was certain the bulk of the people who would be tagged as Psi active would be lesser talents, those who could perform what were termed parlour tricks to amuse the masses. But amidst the lesser abilities there would be found those who could be trained up to take a place in building a world to advantage everyone. Psi, in his personal view, was a talent to be used to the benefit of all, though there were many people, Psi active and mundane, who had an entirely different view. Many with mundane minds feared the power those with Psi active minds could accumulate. They concerned themselves with maintaining the superiority of the mundane human, employing various methods designed to subjugate those who were Psi active. To be certain there were individuals amid the Psi community who did indeed consider themselves to be superior to the non Psi. It was the actions of a few who too often affected the world of the many. One person in a public position could sway the masses. Should a Prime or near Prime talent go rogue, the results could be world shattering. Psi active humans were no different, morally, to the mundane humans who had given birth to their Psi active descendents. The world which had bred them all should not be made to suffer from the teething tensions between those who advocated the old way and those who grasped greedily for the new. The source of the emotional high radiating from the four Tsuberov men present in the control room was blissfully ignoring them all. Gabriella’s attention appeared to be focused on the young man visible through the screen in the laboratory. Treize was not deceived; the Gypsy Prime would have a thread of awareness monitoring each of the men present, particularly the Dean. Gabriella was more than adept at multi tasking and she was too wary an old bird to be taken by surprise. She would be aware of the intent behind every twitch, every flicker of an eyelash and every nuance in a frown. Dragging his attention away from his thoughts and back to the business for which they had come to Tusberov, Treize found himself watching her from the corner of his eye. He could only wonder what her opinion of the young man would be and if, as she had implied, she would take him under her wing. That Gabriella would see Marquise need no longer be concerned as to his future place in society Treize did not doubt. His primary concern was in determining just what position Marquise would find himself filling in Gabriella’s personal world. It was possible the Gypsy Prime would have herself set up as a Guardian figure, taking the necessary time and trouble to oversee the remainder of his education and see him set securely in a position he was content to fill. This was the straightforward option, the everyday life and times of a Psi in the modern world. It was not the everyday life of one of the privileged few who could claim to be one of Gabriella’s Bright Young Men. Treize both feared and desired that the Prime who had taken him under her wing might also take Marquise as a protégé. He feared it and he desired it. Yes, he lived his own life. He was useful to society, more useful to the common man than he would have been had he become a traditional example of a Kushrenada. He was independent of the family machinations, having a mind and will of his own. He was all of these things and more, all thanks to the old woman who had noticed him and chosen to step into the hell his life had become. Once Gabriella noticed you and adopted you and sorted chaos into order, you were not abandoned. Gabriella kept her bright young men on a loose lead, allowing them to lead independent lives, but they were as securely bound to her as though they were tied physically. He had the greatest respect for her and her abilities. She was not just a Psi. She was Gabriella. Her temper was unique, her view of the world could be eye opening and her dalliance in world politics was now revealed to him. He had previously suspected she was involved in far more than she had let on and his suspicions were now confirmed, but he knew, as complex as the woman was, this was sure to be only the tip of the iceberg. Gabriella was one of the movers and shakers of the world. He had come from a long line of politicians and he was no stranger to their ways. He had recognized familiar signs in Gabriella and suspected, but he had not minded her interference in his life. To effect the changes she had wrought in his life so speedily he had known she had to have hidden backers in powerful positions. His family normally did not back down or kowtow to anyone, but in a matter of weeks Gabriella had extricated him from their influence and ensured he chose the future he wanted. She had never abandoned him after setting his feet on the road to his future nor, if she was intent on making Marquise one of her special young men, would she abandon him. Treize resisted the rising urge to rub at his face in a gesture that would give away his consternation at the bombshell Gabriella had taken such delight in detonating. As one of her young men he would be involved in whatever designs she had in the future and so would Marquise. What their part to play in the drama to come would be he dared not contemplate, without first knowing more of what was happening and who would be involved. There were others, men and women Gabriella had a special interest in; he was not alone in his position. Marquise would likely join their select group and it would be his fault for bringing the young man to her attention. He would never be able to apologize enough, but realistically, he had to ask himself what else could he have done? The Primes would have learned of Zechs Marquise within months; it would have been impossible to have hidden a viable Prime once he was working and in that time who knew what damage to Marquise might have been caused? He could only hope Gabriella did not make of Zechs Marquise an example to the masses of what could happen without proper attention to protocols being maintained. Even bringing Marquise’s case to the attention of the House of Representatives was to plaster that very appealing face all over the media. Prime talents lived in enough of a gold fish bowl without the popular press becoming involved. What part did her special group have to play in this grand design for the future? He was afraid to consider the many ramifications to the design she wove. She would be planning more than to have every child on the planet and in the colonies tested, but how far dare he pursue her intentions? Was he giving her too much credit? Would she go only as far as seeing the children tested? He had considered her to be incorruptible, but perhaps he should reconsider and give her a more human aspect. It was, after all, a very grand design to make it law for the new generations to be tested and trained to their full potential. He could only wonder how the government might begin to establish such a massive undertaking as the testing of every child in the Earth Sphere Alliance. He resisted the urge to shuddered at estimating the number of children it would be necessary to scan. The logistics of the resources required to keep track of the children as they developed to a trainable age alone would be enough to occupy the super computers of the world for a year. How did the government officials honestly think they could manage this massive undertaking? If they thought to agree to the testing to keep advocates like Gabriella contained, then they needed to think again. Agreeing to the testing and then making excuse after excuse for the delays in the testing occurring, would serve only to cause ripples in the fabric of the government as factions squared off against each other. The popular press would then wade in and bring the matter to the public and the debate would become something he was afraid to picture. When considered sensibly and calmly the logistics involved in the operation were simply mind boggling. It would be easier to evacuate an entire colony in ten minutes than it would be to test the children of Northern Europe, let alone the juvenile population of the entire planet. It was surely an exercise in futility with today’s testing procedures. Nor was it just on Earth this exercise would be required to be performed, as the populations of the colony clusters must be included in the procedure. The more he thought on the figures involved, the more unlikely it seemed to him such legislation would be possible to enforce. Someone must have missed a decimal point or three during their calculations to have come up with so unsustainable a scenario. How could anyone realistically consider this a viable plan for the future? In theory the idea was perfectly viable, however in the cold, hard light of reality to effectively execute the design was another matter. It would require fifteen to twenty years of preparation before testing procedures would be sufficiently refined and the superstructure to support such a mammoth undertaking could be completed. It would take that long to train the necessary personnel to man the test stations, devise a standardized test schedule, establish testing centres for the testing to be performed in, and a propaganda program to be initiated to educate the general population to want to submit their children for testing. Then there would have to be established a long list of centres and support structures and personnel where the tagged children could be monitored periodically, before they could be passed into the hands of a certified training institute. Gabriella stirred, drawing all eyes to her and interrupting his train of thought. For an instant he though he saw fear in the eyes of the Dean, though emotionally the man had long since vanished behind the protection of his neural unit. Not that Treize could blame him for being wary of this woman; he was probably counting the same costs as Treize for such an undertaking. A huge burden would fall to the existing educational institutes for training Psi’s and they would never be able to cope with a mass influx of children requiring the development and overseeing of personalized programs. That was a major problem with Psi abilities. No two individual people saw the talent, or used it, in an identical fashion. Psi was a skill which required delicate handling and personal training with a dedicated team briefed on the personal idiosyncrasies of the Psi student. Some basic form of instruction could be given in a class numbering no more than fifteen individuals, but such basic instruction would only last for upwards of one year. After this period the training, of necessity, became much more personal with a strict program required to be devised and periodically reviewed to accommodate development. Put simply, there were not enough institutions capable of handling the formulation of such a personalized program and there certainly were insufficient instructors available to work with the talented individuals. It simply could not work. “Status?” Gabriella arched an imperious eyebrow, flashing a glance about the room; a Queen expecting her courtiers to pay tribute to her could not have been less haunty. His attention was dragged back to the test underway and he dismissed the impossible for the moment, centring himself to concentrate on reality. He noted two of the technicians actually started at the snap of command in her voice. Ignoring her would not have the desired effect of making her go away. Gabriella wanted details and they had neglected to provide those statistics to her on a regular enough basis to keep her sitting quietly. Treize resisted the temptation to bare his teeth in a feral grin. It really was amusing to watch people scramble to please Gabriella, though it was not so amusing when one was on the receiving end of her temper. Running his gaze over the various monitoring stations he listened to the report. Marquise had contacted eight of the ten listed targets on Earth and his vital statistics were green across the board. There was no indication of strain physically or mentally at this time during the test. This assurance was not good enough for Gabriella, who insisted on viewing the results of the EEG. Running her eye over the most minute flickers portrayed on the graph produced pursed lips and viewing the subjects pulse and respiration produced a soft grunt. Gabriella, on settling back into her seat, looked content and proceeded with a waft of her hand to hustle the technicians about their work. She looked, in Treize’s view, rather like a cat who had caught a mouse and awaited a saucer of cream as a reward. It was worrying when she acquired that smugly content air. //What are you up to?// He would have to exercise patience and wait, but he was not happy about it. He was missing too much and he did not like not being well informed. Her dark gaze found him and she nodded once, turning her attention to the laboratory below, but a finger briefly flicked over the monitors and relays, a subtle reminder for him to keep aware and watch the proceedings with more attention than he had been. The vast majority of telepaths were graced with a short ear. The term long or short ear referred to the effective range of their psionic ability. Most telepaths could only receive or send over a distance of a few metres and some could not extend their ability beyond the touch of their physical hand. A highly talented few were graced with the Long Ear and these rare individuals could contact a specific person on the opposite side of the planet and exchange information accurately. Amid these rare individuals one in perhaps a hundred could utilize their ability to reach beyond the Earth and out to the colonies. Zechs Marquise had already proven himself capable of reaching around the planet and conveying accurate information to his contacts. The object of this exercise was to officially log Marquise as a planetary grade telepath and have him perform an initial push beyond the confines of the planet. They would learn in the next few minutes if Marquise was capable of that supremely long push out into space toward the moon and contact target specific individuals on the colonies. Though this was only an initial attempt and, should he fail there would be other attempts to determine his range, it would give them some indication of his strength over extended distances. To reach out to the colonies with his telepathic talent was only one of the requirements for the coveted Prime’s ranking. Incredible distances separated the skill levels and potential of telepaths. From being able to read thoughts only with the medium of a physical touch, to being able to reach out to the Moon and beyond designated the potential and set levels to the talent of a telepath. To date Treize was aware of only twenty two registered telepaths with talent sufficiently strong and sensitive enough to enable them to contact the colonies. Nine of those twenty two individuals were the Prime Telepathic Empaths who included Gabriella and Treize in their ranks. Two of the nine T/E Primes could reach all the way to L5, to date the furthest settled colony cluster. In addition to the nine T/E Primes there were eight individuals who had achieved Prime Telepath ratings and were registered as being capable of reaching to the L5 cluster, making a total of ten persons capable of communicating across the full reach of the Earth Sphere. Telepaths were in demand, being much sought after to speed confidential communications throughout the ESUN. With Marquise nearing that all important Prime status and an additional two individuals with the potential to be Telepathic Primes undergoing training at the Psychic Institute, the ESUN government would be eager to strengthen and secure their communications lines. The training and development of the two budding telepathic Primes was being closely monitored and had been for seven years. This monitoring was being done not only by the government but also by the telepathic Primes already registered. Following this visit by Gabriella to Tsuberov, Marquise’s progress would be just as avidly monitored. The mysterious Guardian who had sought to maintain a monopoly on the young man by keeping his existence under the radar, was not likely to be a happy individual once the word circulated and questions were asked. “Target nine has been acquired. Confirmation of contact is logged into the computer record. Details of the conveyance of information is read as having an accuracy of one hundred percent.” Gabriella smirked and Treize felt her satisfaction as a warmly banked glow. She was projecting for him and though one of the technicians present was a low level empath and the Supervisor was a mid range telepath and low range empath, neither of them would sense the communication between the Primes. The Dean had basically closed himself off behind his implant, but he would have had little chance of being aware of their link. Treize and Gabriella were more than capable of guarding their more private conversations from eavesdroppers, be it through the medium of telepathic communion or more basic emotional responses. It was an automatic response for him to respond to her by extending his awareness out toward her and accepting her invitation to link. What he did not expect was to find he was not alone within the protection of her mind. There was no mistaking the bright, alluring beacon luxuriating in the warmth of her awareness. The presence of the younger man who so intrigued him at their earlier contact greeted him shyly and further enthralled him, even as Treize felt the protection of Gabriella’s shields enclose him. ‘Your Grace.’ The greeting was low, almost a throbbing purr of content and he could understand why. Marquise was luxuriating in the enfolding warmth of Gabriella’s focused awareness and Treize could not blame him. This was mother Gabriella and for someone who had long been denied the focus of a mother’s warmth, it was everything one could desire. Treize knew from personal experience just how captivating Gabriella could be, having fallen into her mothering without a thought. He in his turn had grasped at what had been denied him by the early death of his mother and he could not fault Marquise for succumbing to her now. It was, given what Treie know of Marquise’s past, entirely possible Marquise had never experienced anything to compare with being the focus of attention from Gabriella’s mothering heart. Every boy, Gabriella had once told him, craved his mother’s love and when such love was offered honestly they luxuriated within its warmth. He could not deny his own reaction to her acceptance of him and the comfort he had found when he had needed it most. When Gabriella chose you and determined you were worth her love, there was no greater pleasure than to nestle within it. Gabriella in mother mode was as alluring and desirable as Gabriella in high dungeon was to be avoided at all costs. Gabriella’s pleasure pervaded the ether about them and her mind flushed warmer with the flavour of her content. He could feel phantom arms enfolding him, drawing him in closer and drawing in that other awareness, cocooning them within the glow of her talent. ‘As is only polite Gabriella has introduced herself, Naughty Boy. Be knowing you should be I find this one has exemplary manners, unlike certain other of my Boys.’ Had he been aware of his flesh form he would have been blushing at the teasing quality of her thought and the embarrassment experienced as Marquise’s flavour, centred so close to him, flushed with amusement. With Gabriella surrounding them he need not fear anyone condemning him for contacting the younger man and he could react more openly, more honestly, provided he guarded that deeper, purely physical reaction to his undeniable attraction. ‘This one I am finding pleases Gabriella.’ Treize had the distinct pleasure of experiencing the younger man blush in turn; a warm flush of sensation pervaded the contact he shared, a rush of sensation he equated to a rich colour tone nested somewhere between green and blue. He had not previously experienced such a combination of warmth and colour from any contact and wondered if it had something to do with the presence of Gabriella, or if it was something peculiar to Marquise. So vivid was the contact with Marquise, so clear and pure were the colours his senses registered and sought to portray, that he divorced a part of his awareness from the contact, returning the ties to his body to see through his physical eyes. Flicking his gaze over the monitor stations and taking a precious few seconds to study the technicians, he sought some sign they had detected the Prime’s disruption of their test. The technicians were studying the computer readouts, their individual attentions focused on their various workstations, but he detected no concern from any of them. Inclining his head to better facilitate a decent view of the monitors, he noted thus far there were no readings out of the ordinary to betray their three way communication. Assured beneath Gabriella’s protection they would not disrupt the test, Treize returned to the warmth of her mind. ‘I am honoured by your interest, Prime Gabriella.’ Drawn back into the warmth Treize left his physical shell to the control of that portion of his mind which enabled him to function on a basic level as he worked. He could be assured he would not slump in his seat and drool like a mindless idiot, or sprawl his six foot frame all over the floor. He had learned to control his physical functions with a modicum of awareness when using his talent early in his psi education. It was a lesson all Psi’s were required to learn in their basic lessons. Marquise’s awareness within Gabriella’s perceptions and viewed through Treize’s talent left him somewhat astounded by the clarity and purity of the colour field. Treize was to be forever bound by how he viewed the world; colour, taste, touch, smell, these made up his methods of interpreting what his Psi senses touched. ‘Asking why should Gabriella not be interested I am? Is true, is not? Soon you taking a place will be amongst we who are Prime?’ ‘I am hoping to. If I pass the protocols involved in becoming a Prime.’ Treize caught the momentary doubt from Marquise; it flickered through the warmth that was Gabriella. It was vaguely orange to him, a hesitation, an uncertainty. In response the purely Psi warmth surrounding them increased and he had the impression Gabriella caressed and comforted the younger man. Treize felt the comfort extended as a warmly banked glow, as though a low banked fire was stirred by a breath of air to generate a little more heat and he felt the bracing surety of confidence she intended reaching out. It was a response designed to baluster confidence and smother the doubt of one who had had cause to doubt too often. He could only wonder as to Marquise’s initial reaction to the presence of the Gypsy Prime as she had sought out his perceptions. It was considered poor form to interrupt a working session unless there was a dire need, but Gabriella was Gabriella and in her view laws did not apply to her. He could recall no flicker in the graph monitors to suggest when the contact might have initiated and the young man had not squeaked in terror and bolted from the laboratory. He should have had more faith Gabriella would handle the contact with tact, but could she not have waited until the session was over? ‘Gabriella is seeing no reason for you not to be succeeding. Observed much have I and dabbled in many places silly Tsuberov protocol says one must not go. This is thing Gabriella will not tolerate, this locking up of records. What are records for other than to be read I am asking myself? Is stupid rule and Gabriella must know the mettle of those who working with her will be. Know you should more than enough grunt of the mind you have, in all the places grunt counts most, to be accorded status of Prime ranking.’ He felt Marquise freeze at the suggestion Gabriella had raided the Tsuberov records and Treize certainly would not put such dabbling past the woman. If you had the audacity to tell Gabriella she could not do something, you assured she would go out of her way to spite you. The woman, he suspected, had more than sufficient influence to be spared any backlash her investigating in sealed records might have earned. He had already decided it was safest not to underestimate how highly placed in the ESUN structure she was. He had to wonder what it was she might have found in those records and if she now knew who the Guardian of Record for Marquise was. ‘Minding the work session now you should be. Sit back we will and smirk at technicians running tests of useless nature. Gabriella is assured of Sweetling’s talent to stand with Prime’s. Not to do, I am thinking, to have techy types moaning about disrupted procedures and sure am I you would not be eager to start over from beginning.’ The regret Marquise felt at the admonishment to return to the test flavoured the psychic ether, a subdued brown shot through with rosy highlights. Treize was uncertain how to greet his interpretations of Marquise’s thoughts and moods. He had never before been so colour oriented and the exact shades he was interpreting left him somewhat staggered. ‘Thank you, Prime Gabriella, for coming to Tsuberov. Your Grace.’ Marquise was more than reluctant to drop the contact between them and Treize wished they dared entertain the notion of maintaining the link longer than this micro second which might have been a small eternity. With Gabriella initiating the link no one could blame him for improper behaviour due to his sexual orientation and he wanted more contact with the younger man. Treize felt the extremely gentle push Gabriella exerted to turn the young man’s attention back to the task assigned to him. There was no hint in that push to suggest the Prime no longer wished to maintain contact; the exact opposite impression was attained. There was a warmth and suggestion within it, that suggested Gabriella wanted the opportunity to spend quality time getting to know this man. He was not the only one it seemed, to have acquired a fascination for the budding talent. Their reasons might differ and Gabriella would have priority, but that was not, to him, of concern. His interest would, of necessity, be fulfilled in the future. There were priorities which must be met on both their parts before he might entertain the notion of seeking something more from Zechs Marquise. If there could ever be anything between them it would lie in the future, when they were both independent of the influence of others and free to pursue something intensely personal. ‘Gabriella will be watching, of this you might be sure. Found you I have and not to be letting go will I be.’ The entire exchange between their three minds had taken only a few seconds. Coming back to his solo awareness Treize caste a watchful eye over the readouts of the monitoring stations and he noted the barest flicker on a graph. An ever attentive technician marked it, frowning and reached out to make a notation on the graph to ensure it was investigated and discussed after the session. ‘Saw I did.’ Gabriella, to the casual observer, remained focused on the view of the working laboratory. ‘Gabriella is impressed with sensitivity of equipment used in Tsuberov. Expect them to pick up on our exchange one did not and it will be interesting to see them discuss cause of wiggle. Gabriella will be interested fly on wall to their discussion and assessment of session.’ Treize watched in silence as the graph with the tell tale wiggle cycled out of view. His concerns were somewhat different than his fellow Primes, though he knew Gabriella well enough to know she would not have Marquise blamed for the incident. ‘It is feasible they might use it to hold his training back. An unexplained anomaly, no matter how small, must be investigated and they would hesitate to certify him a Prime with an unexplained response on the records.’ His concern was dismissed with a mental snort and Gabriella’s mental touch sent a warm rush through him, the impression of a finger lightly caressing his cheek lingered, as did the warmth of her attention. This was a far cry from the woman who had terrorised the Agency earlier in the day and taken him to task over his tattered shields. ‘Worrying too much about pretty blonde are you. Be assured you can be Gabriella will speak up and be admitting to establishing contact at point marked by wiggle. Gabriella wishes to test their evaluation process and fairness. Be seeing we will if owning up to lapse in protocols will be necessary.’ ‘They will be thinking all Prime telepathic empaths are an ill mannered boorish lot, with no respect for protocol.’ Gabriella’s amusement warmed him. ‘Is not far from truth, yes? You will be keeping watch on monitors for Gabriella. I must be knowing how easily he reaches beyond planet.’ Treize resisted the urge to flick his gaze to her, suddenly worried at the interest he sensed. If Gabriella was so interested in the range and reach of Marquise’s talent, then her reasons bore consideration. If he had a hope in hell of pursuing a personal tie to Marquise at a later time, he would need to know where to find the younger man and the sudden fear Gabriella would see him posted to the furthest outpost of the ESUN prompted him to pursue the matter with her. ‘Why?’ ‘This is something my Naughty Boy will learn in time.’ Her amusement and exasperation with him carried through her mental flavour. ‘Thought it was you understood Gabriella is law unto herself, I did. Stated such many times in past you have, always might add, when thinking Gabriella’s ear not tuned to you.’ He was sure a slow blush of red was creeping up from his collar, but he maintained his indifferent air with aplomb and hoped no one noticed. He was certainly not fool enough to respond to her goading. Gabriella had had quite enough amusement at his expense for one day. ‘Trust, Khushrenada. This you must be having for Gabriella and disappointed you will not be.’ “Earth contact ten acknowledges successful link in. Information pack received with one hundred percent accuracy confirmed. Earth sequence complete. Subject is holding links to all ten target agents steady. Indicators are acceptable across the board.” Treize dragged his attention back to the task at hand and the Supervisor who was making notations once more on his palm pad. He was as curious as Gabriella to know how strong their prospective Prime might be. As one of the two Primes who could reach out to L5, Treize knew the strains of initiating and maintaining long distance contact over long periods of time. This exercise would be a good test of his capabilities. The Supervisor completed making his notations and moved from station to station, consulting the data readouts, noting each reading individually before he leaned toward a microphone. “Earth test complete, Mr. Marquise. Maintain links to agents three, five, seven and nine. Sever links to agents one, two, four, six, eight and ten.” Treize watched, his memories of such exercises rising fresh in his mind. It was not so long ago he had been seated in a similar chair, reaching out with his telepathic awareness to targets designated by various symbols at the beginning of the session. When he had first begun his training such contact had appeared to be impossible, but now he could flick his awareness across the planet at a whim, or send his thoughts spearing out to the colonies without breaking a sweat. ‘Gabriella is most pleased with this one. Economical with his energy he is. Quite efficient.’ Gabriella noted with obvious approval. Reading the graphs Treize could only agree. Marquise was extremely economical with his personal energies, conserving as much as possible by using sufficient resources as was required to do the assigned task and no more. Efficiency was a good thing for a telepathic empath to entertain. It was probable this young man, in due time, would be able to maintain a full day’s work at Prime level without exhausting himself. “Confirmation of terminated links to agents one, two, four, six, eight and ten. Overall time for link termination; two point five seconds.” //Impressive.// Treize mused. //The more I learn of him the more I have to wonder what his Guardian is planning. He is neat, economical and thorough. Anyone would be willing to set a high price for his services.// “All readouts are within acceptable parameters.” The Supervisor was busy with his notes once more, engaged in assessing the data with a critical eye and seeking any indication of stress before he turned back to the microphone. “Mr. Marquise, we will begin the extended test. Maintain links with agents five and seven, sever links with agents three and nine. Your target colony is L1 08379. You are to search out agent beta three. Repeat the identification; beta three. Your target insignia is a Phoenix.” Gabriella stirred, running a knowledgeable glance over the monitors before returning her attention to the blonde in the laboratory below. He had not so much as twitched and Treize could see his breathing maintained that calm and even pace they knew so well amid working Psi’s. “Acknowledgement received of terminated links to agents three and nine. Total time for operational directive stage one; one point two zero seconds.” “Pulse is steady, respiration steady. Alpha line showing rising curve. Theta and Omega indicators within acceptable levels.” Treize forced himself to resist the temptation to reach out and link his awareness with that of the younger man now throwing his awareness out into the cold depths of space. Zechs needed to focus his awareness and project outward, seeking to locate the bright beacon of life that was the L1 colony cluster. Having first located the cluster of habitats he would then need to isolate from the general cluster the one colony he was to target. Once that colony was located he would need to isolate the one mind projecting the image of a Phoenix he was assigned to contact. It was no easy thing to do, this targeting of a single awareness. One solitary individuals mind must be identified amid the four million odd souls inhabiting the colony. When he located that particular target individual, he was required to establish a secure link and transfer pre determined information directly into the brain of the individual. Treize was concentrating on every minute flicker in the graphics read out, but sensed the approval emanating from Gabriella a full two seconds before the technician registered the momentary flicker in the readouts and marked the point at which contact was established. Gabriella, it seemed, had done what he determined he would not do, namely followed along behind the younger man as he sought out his target. He had not wished to chance distracting Marquise from his assignment, they had already compromised his assessment after all. Gabriella, with her usual independence and seeming disregard for protocol, had made a different decision. ‘Well done, well done indeed.’ Her warm thoughts of approval were shared with Treize as a matter of course and there was no hint of concern she might have interfered to Marquise’s detriment. As she had so often said, Gabriella did not make mistakes. ‘Gabriella beyond doubt will be claiming this one to sit beneath the protection of her wing. Company will you be having in pride of place, my Naughty Boy.’ He resisted the temptation to roll his eyes and squashed all thought before Gabriella might descend on him with vengeful force. He really did love her, dramatics and all. He only hoped no one suspected she had not left the young man to perform his task alone. ‘Not interfere did Gabriella. Know better you should. Watch, this only did Gabriella do and well worth watching was he. Good sense of direction he has and exercise logic to locate his assignment he did.’ On one monitor station a red light flashed in a coded sequence and the monitoring technician entered the time into the records, failing to hide his surprise at the time frame. “Confirmation of contact with L1 target Phoenix. Link is holding and confirmed as being established and open.” “Pulse and respiration of subject are within acceptable parameters. Alpha through Omega readouts are steady. ” The Supervisor made his obligatory notations and after a moment of studying the information received he reached for the microphone. “Mr. Marquise, we are go for sequence two of the exercise. You may transmit the specimen data to target Phoenix. Encoded information is now being channelled to your monitor station.” In the room below long delicate fingers flicked over the monitors and for all of three seconds the crystal blue eyes flicked over the receiving data, before hiding once more behind long pale lashes. “Alpha spike. Acceptable level. Lesser Theta response, also acceptable.” The technician nearest to Treize reached to mark the spikes on the graph with a coded number sequence. “Readings are steady.” “Vital signs within acceptable range. No distress indicated.” The third technician reported. Gabriella’s content came across to Treize through their bonding link and he read her content as he would have registered a cat purring with pleasure. ‘Handling this well he is. Gabriella is most pleased. This one will quickly build stamina and doubting I am not he will reach L5 with training. An asset he will be to the Prime focus.’ Treize knew his eyes widened and betrayed him, but all eyes were on the monitors and relays and he thankfully escaped their notice. Gabriella, of course, was aware of his reaction, glancing at him and winking with the smallest of smirks to acknowledge his surprise before returning her attention to the viewing window. She was going to leave it at that? Treize caught himself before he could open his mouth to protest and smoothed the beginnings of a scowl from his face. What passed between he and Gabriella was for they alone to know. ‘Come on, Gabriella, you can’t leave me with that and no more. What Prime focus? What the hell is going on you are not telling me?’ Dark eyes glinted with unholy amusement for all of two seconds before Gabriella dismissed physical reality from their interaction. Her mind flicked over his, much as a parent might lightly smack a toddler’s fingers to deter them from reaching into a dangerous situation. ‘Pfftt! Who is it needing to learn to mind his manners, Naughty Boy? Always is there place in time when all must be revealed. Patience is therefore not only virtue but necessity. Be knowing this is neither time nor place for the knowing. Have patience, Naughtiest of Naughty Boys. Gabriella will be sure to reveal all.’ Dark eyes sparkled with evil amusement. ‘When appropriate time comes, of course.’ //Infuriating gypsy bitch!// Behind his shields he was safe enough in daring to think such thoughts, even with his weakened shields. Gabriella would expect him to do some very private growling about her high handed methods; indeed she would be insulted if he did not. She was singularly unique and there were times he could cheerfully strangle her. // She’s undoubtedly enjoying this. What do I do? What can I do? All of the cards are in her hands and at this stage I have to wonder if I have done the right thing by Marquise. I’ve inadvertently roped him into whatever game she is playing.// The more he thought about what he had learned this evening, the more convinced he was that there were great changes afoot within the ESUN. Changes in which Gabriella, the supreme manipulator of men in powerful positions, intended the Prime’s to feature strongly. //There is far more going on here than I initially thought. By reacting to Chang as I did, I have brought her attention back to me and to the unfortunate innocents at Tsuberov. Not just Marquise, but also others engaged in studying here. She displayed great interest in the Winner heir and his potential as a Prime. Whose records has she dabble in, I wonder? What are you up to, Gabriella?// Quatre Winner had the backing of his family’s massively influential company to protect him from her machinations, and if anyone stood a chance of denying Gabriella it was The Winner. How many other potential Prime, or near Prime, talents was Tsuberov sheltering at this time? How many others within the Universities precincts had had their exact potential covered up? Why was this deception taking place? Who was involved in the operation and exactly what were they planning to do with the talented in their grasp? His only clue as to the machinations of his fellow Prime had been offered up in a comment as an aside. Had she intentionally dropped the clue, or had she not realized it to be a clue? Not that it would assist him in determining her intentions if he could not puzzle out its meaning. //Prime focus, she said? What does she mean by Prime focus? It has something to do with government sanctions for the testing of every child in the Earth Sphere I expect. They will be announcing this testing procedure later this week and I want to see that announcement. It might give me some insight as to what they are planning. Prime focus suggests a merging. Prime’s in our field could get away with some sort of merge, though ego clash would have to be considered and I don’t know of a single Prime who would not have a problem sublimating their ego to another. What games are they playing with our lives?// The unassailable fact was he was a junior Prime. Before Marquise had come to their attention he was the youngest of them, the baby of the group; to be coddled and protected by all of the others. He had not particularly enjoyed that status, but he could not refute the differences in age between he and the other Primes. He was more than eighteen years younger than the youngest of the individuals to make the ranking of Prime as a telepathic empath. He was young, but one thing he was not was a fool and he came from a family steeped in centuries of scheming and politics. He could smell conspiracy in the air he breathed and inadvertently he had brought Marquise into it. He had brought him to the attention of the older Prime’s and whatever they were scheming he had an obligation to the younger man he could not ignore. It was his duty to protect Zechs Marquise to the best of his abilities, even against those who were best suited to help the young man. Treize had never been a particularly trusting soul; he had not been reared to trust unconditionally. He had thought he had found in Gabriella someone in whom he could trust and he was not enjoying the day’s revelations. He was feeling betrayed and used and Kushrenada’s did not like to be used. He had been aware for some time Gabriella had been determined to increase both the profile and rights of the Psi’s employed within the Earth Sphere. Many people bereft of Psi ability feared the emergent Psi society and abuse of Psi’s, particularly amidst the lower level psychics, was not unknown. Opponents to the proposed Psychic Bill were vocal and there had been instances of violence targeted against psychics who could not defend themselves. He agreed something needed to be done to counter the building tensions, but he was not of a mind to be a part of a revolution. He made no effort to disguise the assessing nature of the look he directed toward her. No one was currently paying them attention and he did not need to explain one enigmatic look to anyone. He was a Prime and for once he would have no qualms about playing on that mystique should anyone notice the byplay between himself and Gabriella. Her dark eyes danced with no small amusement and the warmth of her mind enfolded his in the equivalent of a fond physical hug. Gabriella appeared not to be concerned with the suspicion with which he viewed her. ‘Trust, my Treize. Khushrenada are you and once upon a time the H in that stood for much heart. Why is it lately this bloodline of yours is dropping the H, hmmm? Khushrenada is good, why now Kushrenada? Pfftt. No matter it is. You are Khushrenada to the heart; loyal and alert and warned now are you to how the world will turn. Learn to trust in Gabriella you must for the best intentions have I for the Aware within this heart of hearts. Be assured what it was Gabriella survived in her youth will not be visited upon another generation, if Gabriella is has anything to say about it.’ The dark eyes glinted, hard as granite. ‘And Gabriella has big mouth, long reach and fierce determination.’ “Coded sequence received from L1 08379. Transfer of data is complete and checks confirm accurate transfer of test information.” He dragged his awareness back to the test, refraining from assuring her of his trust and knowing she would accept the distance between them. For the moment at least. Above all Gabriella had been fair with him and would not blame him for stepping back from her following the revelations of the evening. She would expect him to be wary and watchful and he wondered if that was not exactly why she had acted as she had. In the course of a few minutes Gabriella had alerted him to change coming in the natural order of society. Forewarned he was forearmed. “Physical statistics of the test subject are in the green range across the board. No indication of physical distress, no indication of psychic strain.” “Time for transfer of information packet to target subject, adjusted for time lag to destination, is five point three zero nine seconds.” //That is more than a respectable time for a transfer of information to the L1 colony cluster. He’s good.// Gabriella nodded; a small movement of approval and extended a probe to Treize, tightening the range and depth of the send to be assured only her fellow Prime would read her. Her confidence came across to him as a warm beacon of approval and there was no reproach for his wariness. ‘I am most assuredly liking this one you are finding for us. He is naturally quick and efficient. Hurry himself to appear more apt than he naturally is he does not, and this I am particularly liking. Too often I am finding those with promise push too hard. Push, push, push. They are told to extend themselves; push and improve. Pleased I am not to find this mentality of push at Tsuberov. School for rich idiots has done something right with training of Psi. Gabriella is pleased with her visit.’ She looked it too and she generated her pleasure on the psychic level, a warm flush of content rolling out to enfold him. Gabriella was more than content with how the events of the evening had played out and Treize was more concerned than ever. He honestly did not know if he had done right by Marquise or Quatre Winner by bringing her here. ‘So you are ready to leave now?’ If he could get her away from the University he might feel a little better, particularly if he could weasel a little more information out of her. Of that he was not confident, but she would not want him worrying himself to distraction with already stressed shields and she might be a little more forthcoming with information to calm him down. Or, more likely, she might deliver a psychic slap to his ears to wake him from his near hysteria and over blown paranoia. ‘Certainly not.’ Her grin was innocence personified and he noted absently how the Dean flinched. No doubt the poor man would be afraid of what other calamity Gabriella might bring to his door. Her visit to Tsuberov would not soon be forgotten. ‘Gabriella is wishing to be formally introduced to my Sexy Boy with the pretty blue eyes.’ //Oh God! She can’t have christened him that!// Horror widened his eyes and his head snapped around to face her, unmindful of the technicians and Dean. //She can’t!// Oh she looked smug, smirking at him as she did, dark eyes afire with amusement and he dared not comment. She would have a rejoinder all ready to fling at him if he bit and he would not bite. Her amusement lifted, he could feel it rolling from her in merry bubbling waves of palest gold and it felt to him how chocolate tasted, melting on his tongue. Would he ever win against this terrible old woman? ‘Needing to assess the calories Sexy Eyes has expended in this work session I do. Reaching to colonies is good test of calorie efficiency, not just telepathy. Full assessment is required of his skill, including assessment of physical needs. Leave Tsuberov I will not be, until monitored him I have through recovery. This one Gabriella is able to be mother to and wishing to see him safely tucked in bed for the night I am.’ He could only hope she meant that figuratively. A mental vision of the Gypsy Prime insisting on tucking the younger man into bed swum before his eyes and he could feel his jaw begin to sag. It would be close to see who died of embarrassment first, he or Marquise. ‘Khushrenada will mind Gabriella now and find this hunter of young men with very sick mind. Gabriella knows not if our Six is sick one’s target, or if it is Bright Eyes or the third of the group who is targeted. Whoever it be, sick one requires governing soonest. Restraint I am thinking would be best, desirable certainly; but Gabriella is not doubting it might be too late. If this is so, then restraint must be abandoned. It will be mercy to him to make one cut only.’ Restraint, Treize knew, was infinitely preferable in dealing with this rogue Psi. He was not a fool and he knew what would be required if it was too late to help the individual who had, he was sure, already killed. He was sure it was the stalker who had killed this unknown intruder into the suite and he must not forget they still needed to identify the dead man. There was more than one mystery at Tsuberov to be solved. It was no pleasant thought to contemplate the need that another might die before this case was concluded. If they could not restrain and contain the awakening talents of the Stalker then there was only the one option available. Controlled, maintained and trained to a safe level of operations the individual could be a great asset to the ESUN. The alternative, a true rogue psi, was unthinkable. Sometimes, for the greater good, one must die. An out of control super psychic could not be tolerated. t.b.c. Karina Robertson 2008 —————————— 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. Gabriella : Romany descent. Level 10 Sending / Receiving Telepath + Level 10 Receiving and Projecting Empath. Prime Rated. Training facility rumored to be Government Laboratories of the Prussian Republic deposed in the year AC 45. Age: Unknown [rumored to be approximately seventy four]. Oldest of the Prime Telepathic Empaths. Dean Alexander Hargraves: Dean at Tsuberov University and Parapsychic Institute. Neural Implant. Sending / Receiving Telepath Level 3 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] |
