Avery walked down the corridor to Tanya's room, stopping briefly at the caf to get a bottle of orange juice. She stopped for 5 minutes to chat with Dan, who was complaining about the lack of sugary cereals for him to choose from.
Almost nervously, she knocked on Tanya's door.
Tanya
Juggling Kit in one hand, Tanya walked over to the door. She glanced at the display that showed her who was standing outside, smiled, and opened the door.
"Hi Avie," she greeted. "Come on in."
Avery
"Hey," Avery said quietly.
She followed Tanya in and fidgeted slightly.
"I need to tell you something."
Tanya
"Sure, sure," Tanya replied. "Have a seat."
She closed the door just as Kit started fussing again.
"There, there," she said soothingly. "I'm getting you your bottle..."
She shoot Avery a 'please excuse me' look and, as quickly as she could, retrived Kit's bottle from the kitchen. Just as quickly, she returned, Kit sucking away happily.
Avery
"How's he doing?" Avery asked, distracting herself from the task at hand for a moment.
Tanya
"Kit's great," Tanya replied. "He turns one in two days."
There was no mistakening the parental pride in Tanya's face as she sat down on the lounge.
Avery
"I remember turning one... ok, no I don't."
Avery sat down across from Tanya and fidgeted nervously again.
Tanya
Tanya smiled.
"So," she said, "what can I do for you today?"
Avery
"Um..."
Avery decided to just jump to the point.
"I saw Christian the other day."
Tanya
Tanya raised her eyebrows.
"I see," she replied.
Why on earth would Wayne allow Avery to see Christian? Unless...
Tanya pressed her lips together.
Avery
"They wanted me to break his shield," Avery said softly.
"And I did, but..."
Oh, now to tell her that she broke the law.
Tanya
Damn Wayne.
"But what?" Tanya asked softly.
Christian's mind was not somewhere you took a fourteen-year old girl. What was he thinking?
Avery
"I... I gave him a stronger shield after it."
Avery looked at her feet.
"I couldn't tell them what I saw and risk you and Tay and Ike and Zac being in trouble!"
Tanya
Tanya nodded slowly.
"I see," she said thoughtfully. "Well, I appologise for putting you into that position. I don't know what Wayne could have been thinking..."
Avery
"It's ok," Avery said slowly.
"I also put my security system into his head. It can't be traced back to me, I made sure of that."
Tanya
"Ahh, so... you've also joined the conspiracy?" Tanya asked, half serious, half joking.
This whole thing was ridiculas.
Avery
"I guess," Avery smiled.
"I had to lie and tell them I couldn't break the shield. After I put my own stronger one in. I'm fairly confident that it won't be broken. Not for awhile, anyway."
Tanya
Tanya frowned.
"If they had someone listening in, or were recording it, I hope you didn't say anything aloud that implied you had gotten in. If they heard something that made them suspicious they may get an empath to... inquire."
Avery
"We did most of the talking in his head. Anything out loud was just about stupid stuff, like how my hair is purple and so on."
Avery shrugged.
"I don't know, I hope it's all ok."
Tanya
Tanya nodded.
"I hope so too," she considered for a moment. "Worst case scenario, you could 'amend' your statement to say that all the stuff they're interested in is behind a sheild you couldn't penetrate'. Which is true, because you couldn't penetrate a shield that didn't exist until later."
She grinned.
"I've had experience with empaths before. Best way to fool them is to say something that is completely true. Sometimes they might sense that you're hiding something, but I think in your case, they may give you the benefit of the doubt and allow that you may have seen something rather disturbing in Christian's mind that you rather not talk about. They may recommend therapy."
Avery
Avery nodded.
"Fooling an empath? Years of practice. My mom, remember?"
She gave a little smile.
"Zac taught me all the tricks... but in either case, I think I'll just say I couldn't get through the shield, and the only things I saw left me traumatised. Although I won't say it so casually. I will keep reminding them that I'm 14 though."
Tanya
"Yes, of course," Tanya nodded. "I was forgetting. But yes, that sounds like a good plan to me."
She removed the empty bottle from Kit's mouth, and adjusted him over her shoulder to burp him.
Avery
"Do you think they'll doubt I wasn't able to break it?"
Avery looked her in the eyes.
Tanya
Tanya considered the matter carefully.
"I think that they'll find it plausible due to your lack of experience, and the fact that you haven't finished your training with me."
Avery
"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about it beforehand," Avery said.
"I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I wanted to see him and... make it right I guess, after everything that happened with the Eye."
Tanya
Tanya nodded.
"It's fine," she replied. "In a way, it's probably better that you didn't. Wayne has a way of finding things out you don't want him to know. Guess that's why he's head of security."
Avery
Avery paused.
"Don't you think it was a bit of a conflict of interest to ask me to do it? I mean, we weren't exactly best friends. I killed his father, and he helped kidnap me and stuff."
Tanya
Tanya nodded.
"Yep," she said. "He must be grasping at straws - no offence - to ask you. He obviously doesn't think eh can trust Chrtsian, despite all the intel he's been freely giving him."
Avery
"What do they want to do to him?" Avery asked.
She brushed some hair from her eyes.
Tanya
"I believe the comman phrase is 'turn him into a productive member of society'," Tanya replied. "Although really, they just don't want him to cause YIRAAS or any of it's members any more problems. However, killing children is something we from upong, so the rehab centre was formed to give kids who had an unfortunate childhood a second chance. Christian's the oldest we've ever had in there - he's actually over the age limit... but lets just say he has friends in high places who know what strings to pull."
She smiled wryly.
Avery
Avery was quiet for a moment.
"Do you believe he can change?"
Tanya
Tanya considered carefully before she replied.
"I believe that there is a good person inside of Christian - sometimes we even get glimpses of that someone. I think that your brothers have even seen that person - they must have because I don't think they'd befriend him otherwise. I also think that unless certain outside pressures or influences are taken away, Christian will not be allowed to change, for his own survival," she shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, said outsider pressures and influences are not so easily contained. If he weren't so high profile, a change of identity would be ideal - he could start again. Unfortunately, his opportunities for starting again are bleak, because of that high profile. Unlike celebrities, he can't just stop working and slip into the background. It's not the public he's hiding from - it's the private."
Avery
"Do you think he deserves the treatment he has at the moment?"
Avery gazed at Tanya, observing everything, every trace of emotion, every eye flick. Everything.
Tanya
Tanya was silent for a moment.
"What I think Christian deserves is a good family. He's never really had that. And while I did my best while I was under cover, I did ultimately betray his father figure, and was lying to him. He's been remarkably forgiving of that - I think it would be very easy for him to hold a grudge if he chose to. The current treatment he's getting? Well, he certainly didn't deserve Wayne using you to get more information out of him. I think he may have just undermined himself by doing that," Tanya frowned, and paused again before continuing. "As for his stay at the rehab centre... I think that's he's finally learning somethings he's needed to learn for a long time - that's important. It's equally important that he can do this in safety - which, up until now, I thought he was. I don't think he deserves to be shut up like that, but at the moment, I can't see an alternative. Not one that would benefit him more."
Avery
"If I did get caught for lying, what would happen to me?" Avery asked suddenly.
"Do you think it was the right choice? What I did?"
Tanya
Tanya chewed her lip, then grinned.
"I think Wayne would throw his hands up in disgust? He has people on all sides siding with Christian," she chuckled. "But seriously, I think worst case you'd get a fine, and a mark on your record that'll prohibit you from working in YIRAAS Security in any capacity. Best case, they decide that they'd rather keep the whole incident quiet, and they'll just be a note to keep you away from Christian-related cases, should you ever decide to work for YIRAAS Security in any capacity. Either way, they'll probably question you with an empath witness. And if they catch you out before you turn 15 - which, as we both know is the minimum age requirement to be a full YIRAAS member, they'll even have to let you have your Dad or another adult sit in on it."
She paused briefly before answering Avery's second question.
"I think that you can't go wrong listening to your gut."
Avery
"So, all I have to do is fool the empath. I should be alright with that, years of practice."
Avery scratched her head.
"Do you think I'll get caught?"
Tanya
Tanya shrugged.
"I really don't know," she replied honestly. "Sometimes I've gotten caught having done things I was sure I had gotten away with. Other times I was sure I'd been caught and I had gotten away with it. So it depends. Oh! There is... well, it's unlikely that they'll do this - they primarily only ever do this with known criminals but... if they really don't trust you - and I mean really - they might get a Null to hang around a prevent you from using your powers in an interview - just so you don't manipulate the empath. Also any empth they do use will have a shield. Albeit, you being a grandmaster it probably won't be a problem to bipass, but the possibility still exsists."
Avery
Avery considered this for a moment.
"And if I shielded all my memories from the encounter with Christian, what would happen?"
Tanya
"Wayne wouldn't bother asking a telepath to sit in," Tanya replied. "Unless you intend on sheilding those memories from yourself, I doubt it would make any difference."
Now that would be an interesting trick.
Avery
"That's what I mean. What if I block it off from myself so I can't remember it, or access it? Then anything the empath asks me, I won't know."
Avery considered this for a second.
"Did that make sense?"
Tanya
Tanya nodded.
"I've never been able to do that, but if anyone can I bet it's you," she replied. "It sounds like it would work."
Avery
"I think it would be safer than trying to fool the empath."
Avery shrugged slightly.
"I might need your help with it though, to unlock it later."
Tanya
Tanya smiled.
"I'd be happy to, if I can. Are you going to leave anything to help you to remember that you've hidden something in your head? Or will I have to remember for you?" she asked ironically.
Avery
"I might need you to tell me. We'll come up with a word that I'll incorporate into the shield to make me know that if you use that word, you're telling me the truth."
Avery laughed slightly.
"That was a bit confusing."
Tanya
Tanya laughed as well.
"Not at all. Just be careful what word you pick. You wouldn't want it to be something that can in injected into casual converstation. Y'know, just in case someone else inadvertantly uses that word when they're lying to you."
Avery
"We could make it something weird, like 'whizzlewhozzle' or something."
Avery grinned.
Tanya
Tanya grinned back.
"Sounds good to me," she replied with a chuckle.
Avery
"Ok, so shall we?"
Avery indicated her head with a smile.
Tanya
Tanya nodded.
The memory block was installed and tested with less trouble than Tanya thought, with only the one interuption to put Kit to bed.