A Mutual Agreement [Jesse/Gabe. Jr]

[Gabriel Underwood]

For the past half an hour, there had been a steady, but irritating stream of teenagers blistering in and out of the mall. A sale was on, and teen girls squealed at their purchases, flailing bags of worthless tat at their friends and sipping on milkshakes. For that past half an hour, a non moving, chain smoking figure had been stood, watching this annoyance occur over and over again. It would have been far, far too easy to cause some sort of hideous carnage. A man could lose control of his truck and plow straight through the teens, a crazy woman could start shooting the girls down like Columbine all over again. But yet none of these things happened.

Gabriel was waiting.

Much like how a cat will wait for hours for the mouse to appear from it's hole, Gabriel allowed the passing of time to go without a terrible accident. He smoked to keep himself sane, without that pack, he would have already made a mess of things, and that would have surely ruined his plan. Pilot Ridge had without a doubt changed since his last visit, and the occupants too. It was too busy for his tastes, full of idiots and people who lacked any facility to be discreet.

He put out his cigarette and continued his silent vigil, moving a hand up to rub his eyes. There had to be at least one out here today. Someone special, someone with just what he wanted; a key into Hammel, and enough power to make an interesting new recruit. But so far there was nothing. Either their powers were too weak for Gabriel to pick up on, or their minds were too open. Someone who could change and destroy things, that's who Gabriel was waiting for. Someone who would give him something to work with and improve. Someone to teach the skills he himself had worked on for so long.

A girl thumped into Gabriel's chest and apologised. He stared down at her and sighed heavily, lighting up his fifth cigarette and blowing the smoke at her. "Move." He growled, rubbing his chin with the other hand. "Before I move you myself." And the warning meant more than the young girl could have understood. Gabriel could have had her do a strip dance in front of the whole mall, and left her, humiliated, in the middle of the street with no clothes.

And he would have enjoyed it.

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse hated the mall. Detested it. Too many giggling, screeching girls. They ground on his nerves.

Which begs the question why he was even there in the first place.

Well.

Easy.

He needed to get out of Hammel. He needed a break, something. A distraction. Anything, so long as it didn’t have to do with school. He was already in a bad mood. The other day he’d been hauled out of class and sent to the shrink for, quote, “acting out.” Bullshit. He’d just been bored, and that itch to hurt someone had been too tempting to ignore. He hadn’t even been that bad. Just a little twist of the arm, a little irritation. Even if he was being nice (which was rare), he found that his victims just didn’t like him in their heads, with access to their memories, good and bad. That was the fun part, watching their discomfort as he looked through their thoughts much like a set of home movies. And, as an added bonus, he could always find some blackmail material.

Being at the mall now, however, he was just looking for something to do. He had his credit card, loaded up by his not so loving father, to spend however the hell he saw fit. So far, that had been on music, mostly. But he already had most of what he wanted. So he was just here to waste time, and avoid the school. Avoid the watchful eyes of his teachers. That was the other thing. Bitchface Anya. Taking his powers away as punishment. He hated her. So much.

It was hard to conduct himself in the eye of the public. Sometimes the urge to use his ability was almost too difficult to deny. At school, it wasn’t so bad. Hell, the others practiced their powers in the hallways, and in the dorms. Why not him, too? And that was his defence. He needed to practice, too. The teachers just didn’t like his way of “practicing.” It wasn’t fair.

The little blonde looked every inch the punk he was, at present. He was wearing black jeans (not floor dragging monstrosities, nor were they skinny jeans – gross), a studded black and silver belt, and a black t-shirt with red spatters on it. He had a thin black strap around his neck, almost like a collar, and his hair was artfully mussed so that it lay between him and potential victims. But then, out of nowhere, something caught his attention. A little scuffle, for lack of a better term, between some girl and... a guy. A guy that didn’t rightly look like he belonged in Pilot Ridge. Jesse scowled. There were always talk of the government trying to infiltrate the school. Whether there was some truth to it, or it was complete bullshit, Jesse couldn’t say. But the interaction made him smirk. This could be fun. Using his abilities outside of the school were a big, big no-no. But this could be fun. He walked forward, purposely swinging his shoulder into the older man. If he wanted to fight, Jesse would fight back. And he’d probably win.

[Gabriel Underwood]

Gabriel had managed to shoo the girl away with his words, and had began to settle back against the wall when he caught Jesse, with swagger, walking towards him. Now this looked like a Hammel student. The confidence, the slight arrogance from being more powerful than anyone could imagine from the outside, this was the signal he was waiting for. Tensing, he got ready to stub out his cigarette and stalk after the blonde teen, but then... he looked like he was actually coming towards him, and he arched a brow.

Then smack.

"You know." Gabriel said smoothly, putting one hand on Jesse's shoulder with ease. "Even an idiot would have known you did that on purpose." Cigarette dangling precariously on his lip, he looked down at Jesse and shook his head. "And I'm sure someone like you could have done something much more interesting than just slam into me." There was a hint of amusement in Gabriel's voice as he flicked the lingering ash from the end of the cig. Moving forward, he decided to walk slowly ahead, saying nothing but expecting Jesse to follow him at least semi curiously.

"So, what's your name?" He asked casually, snorting smoke out of his nose. "And more importantly, what talents have you got, aside stabbing me with your shoulder." Lingering at the newspaper stand, he eyed Jesse with a smirk. "And don't bullshit me with running and jumping, you know exactly what I mean." It was a bold move, but Gabriel could afford it. Should Jesse just be an annoying ordinary kid, he could get into his head and make him run in front of a car. Easy. A clean up operation was, in effect, easier than his current recruitment mission. At least he wouldn't have to put up with the squawking girls much longer.

Picking up a paper, he thumbed through it with an irritating level of nonchalance, as though he was just having some idle conversation with some kid off the street. But Gabriel's mind was ticking away furiously, even his ears were trained on Jesse's words, ready and waiting to capture them and turn them into a plan. "How is Hammel these days, anyway?"

Risky business Jesse. Maybe you could back out now if you ran fast enough.

[Jesse Adams]

Confidence was something Jesse definitely did not lack. Drilled into his head from a young age, if you did not have confidence, you would not survive in the world. It was also where his dominance issues came from. As in, if he wasn’t on top, he wasn’t succeeding. If he wasn’t bullying someone into submission, he wasn’t going to get anywhere in life. A bit of a twisted outlook on life, yes, but that was Jesse. His father had twisted his mind from the innocent little boy he’d one been to… this.

Really, Jesse knew it wasn’t all that wise to mess with people like this. That one tiny iota of decency he managed to retain told him so. He just ignored it. Humans were fun. And so easy to freak out. But he twitched, well, jerked, really when Gabe touched him. It was one of those “fuck the hell off” motions, without the words behind it. He wasn’t fond of the touching thing. “So what if I did?” It was more of a snarl than a question, but he suspected his point would reach across. But his eyes flashed slightly at the accusation. Now he was really thinking government. While he’d always had these impressive ideas of convincing a government agent into thinking he was worth keeping around for weaponry purposes, now he was faced with it, all those thoughts fled. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” That’s it, Jess. Play dumb.

And then Gabe pulled away. Jesse blinked. What the hell was his game? He started forward, more out of irritation. He didn’t like people starting conversations and then walking away. One could argue that Jesse had started it, with that idiotic shoulder smacking. But the questions threw him off again, his gait slowing. “You tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine.” Yes, he’s an obnoxious, mistrustful teenager. “What’s your deal?” Yes, he’s avoiding the ability question on purpose. Two possibilities existed. Either this creep was a meta too, or he was a government agent. He couldn’t tell which. But there was something decidedly… off, about him. That little spark, Jesse recognized. Hell, he saw it in the mirror every morning. That look in his eyes… there was more to him that meets the eye.

As Gabe picked up the newspaper, Jesse flatted himself against the wall, his eyes never leaving the older man. Hammel. There it was. Okay. He had to be a meta. He smirked, crossing his arms across his chest. “Boring as all fuck. When’d you graduate, 1940?” Yes, Jesse’s just that big a bastard. He’s not running anywhere, because Gabe officially interests him. At least, more than the giggling girls.

[Gabriel Underwood]

Gabriel seemed less than interested in Jesse as he continued to thumb through the newspaper, even with his ears catching every little word. "Bullshit." He growled as Jesse claimed ignorance. The kid was bluffing, he was sure of it. Looking up for a moment, he fixed Jesse with a rather disconcertingly piercing gaze. "Try again." He continued, moving his eyes back to the newspaper with a feigned interest. Rubbing his stubble, he flicked the last of his cigarette into the bin, and felt an unmistakable twitch in his temple as some girl started bellowing to her friends about what John had said.

"Tell you?" Gabriel folded the newspaper up cleanly, with a small, but not unnoticable smirk on his lips. "How about I show you?" There was a hint of darkness in the man's voice as he said that, looming over Jesse for a moment, before glancing back over at the girls. It was like christmas, so many open minds just waiting to be unravelled and tainted with his own special touch. One blonde girl seemed to be making far more of a decible-bursting racket than the others, and so, with all of the gentle predatory skill of a waiting crocodile, Gabriel struck.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. The body of Gabriel seemed to be frozen in whatever it was originally doing, mostly just looking over with a casual glance at the group of teenagers. But there was no one there. The lights were on but no one was home, so to speak. Then that blonde girl, the one Gabriel had heard just about enough of, walked out into the center of the walkway. Her friends called at her to stop acting so weird and to get back over, but she seemed not to hear them.

You aren't beautiful anymore. Maybe if you took a little of the fat off your cheeks, my dear.

With a soft giggle, the girl began to scratch hard at the skin of her face, peeling away layers as she maimed herself, then suddenly she broke into a deranged smile and pointed at Jesse. "See what I can do?" She said, nearly screaming the words as she ran her hands over the raw skin on her now bleeding cheeks. "See what I can DO?" And then she dropped to the floor, like an unwanted sack of potatoes, disgarded and left with the consequences of actions that weren't her own. Her friends stared at her, both concerned and terrified.

Gabriel's smirk had gotten a whole lot wider.

Glancing back to Jesse, the man seemed not to hear the girl and her screams of horror as she felt her face. He just looked, passive and yet somewhat dangerous, perhaps like a lion that's fed watching a gazelle run past. There was a quiet moment in which time seemed to slow down to a halt, and Gabriel's expression changed for only a few seconds, the look that said in words so soft "I could do that to you, too."

"Silly girl." He eventually purred, pulling out another cigarette, then hesitating and offering it out to Jesse languidly. "And if I really did graduate back then, I think I'd be a little grey round the head." Pausing, he chuckled. "If you're going to come back with another age joke, make it a good one, normally banter lasts as long as it takes to slit someone from ear to ear. I'm feeling charitable today." Closing his eyes, Gabriel joined Jesse to lean against the wall.

"Care to demonstrate your own skill?"

[Jesse Adams]

Wait, what? Gabe was actually questioning his innocence? ... Well. That just kicked the fun factor up a notch. As Gabe stared, Jesse didn’t back down. He met it head on, staring back just as coldly. He didn’t just talk touch. He could back it up. ‘Try again.’ What did he want? For Jess to bend over backwards and submit to him, just because he was older? Jesse smirked, tucking his arms tighter against his body. “I screw with people’s heads.” There. Just enough to vaguely describe what he could do, and still leave him wanting more. Technically, it was true. He did mess with people’s minds. The effects were temporary, but they caused enough distress to warrant freak outs. And those were the best part. So much fun to watch.

That smirk, Jesse recognized. He pulled the same expression when he was up to something. But the little blonde was interested now. He shifted slightly against the wall, ignoring the dark look he was given. He wasn’t afraid. He was actually a little curious. He’d never met a meta outside of Hammel’s walls. Especially one that was willing to risk exposure. There were a ton of rules to be followed on weekends, or whenever you left the campus. Most importantly, do not use your abilities around humans. But here was this guy, with a blatant disregard for the rules.

... Jesse had an admiration for him already.

It was mildly creepy, Jesse had to admit, when Gabe’s body froze. But he’d seen this before. Several of his classmates did things that required them to almost “leave” their bodies. Vulnerable, yes, but he couldn’t do a damn thing when their consciousness was elsewhere. Yes, he’d tried. Kicking someone while they were down wasn’t unusual for him. He had an unhealthy disregard for most rules, especially those of combat. In his mind, he was just taking advantage of a presented opportunity. There was his father’s influence again, rearing its ugly head.

The blonde ditz that had been making so much noise was suddenly quiet. Jesse arched an eyebrow and watched her move away from her so called friends. And then, the mutilation started. Much like a car wreck, Jesse was fascinated by this. While the screaming was somewhat disconcerting, it just made Jesse smirk. He’d never seen this power. Hell, he hadn’t even known it had existed. It was like an entirely new level of mind control. Complete. Kilbourne, he could just get into your head, and tell you what to think. He could change your mind, or keep you from doing something potentially dangerous. He’d done it to Jesse a lot. But this, this was different. Whether Kilbourne could do this too, he was just too soft to do it, or if this was different, he didn’t know. But it was interesting.

When Gabe was back in his own body, Jesse just arched his eyebrow again. The look, he read clear as day. He just wasn’t worried. Why? Because even he could see they were alike. As the cigarette was offered, Jesse took it and slipped a lighter out of his pocket. He smoked when he could get his hand on cigarettes, something his father didn’t approve of. Not that he cared what the old man thought. He inhaled slowly, half closing his eyes. “So you graduated. I had you figured for a drop out.” He shrugged his shoulders against the wall, but the question had him wondering. It was much more difficult to demonstrate his ability on someone else. A third party observing wouldn’t see much. He lifted his chin, arrogance in his eyes.

“Fine.” He wasn’t scared of approaching Gabe, even after that little demonstration. Though he hated to do this, the whole touching thing, he pressed his palm against Gabe’s hand. In moments, he found himself viewing memories, but... something was wrong. They were disjointed, completely... what was this? He didn’t feel like delving deeper for an explanation, so he simply grabbed the nearest one and tweaked it, darkened it, and let go again. He snapped his hand away, tucking it back against his body. “Memory manipulation. I can work up nightmares, too, if someone’s asleep. I hurt them there, they’ll feel it when they wake up.” He cracked his knuckles. “Can’t fucking break bones yet, though. That’s my next goal.” And after that? Death.

[Gabriel Underwood]

Gabriel had indeed graduated. Using his own cunning and initiative he had gone through the school without once getting caught for causing trouble. That was the trick with Puppetry, no one knew. Glancing down at Jesse's hand, he chuckled. "Just pretend like you give a shit, that's the trick." Stretching out, he let out a great puff of smoke from another cigarette, and grinned lazily. "If you get put in with the psychs, show remorse, act sorry, pretend it was a terrible thing to do, then no one keeps too close an eye on ya." He'd been the model student, of course, acting as though he would only ever use his powers if he had to. What a double bluff that was.

Whilst calm on the outside, Gabriel's mind was not only ticking with plans, but now the added annoyance of the girl's panicked voice inside his head. It kept screaming, and in all honesty, it was getting him a little irritated. He hated his victims, hated how they struggled to fight off his power, and inevitably lost, yet kept a bit of themselves around to irritate him when necessary. "Screwing with people's heads is a far greater power than playing around with fire. If you learn to do it properly, no one need ever know you did it. It's subtle and deadly, but you already knew that." Turning and smirking at Jesse, the man nodded his head.

It was when Jesse touched his skin that he relaxed, intrigued as to what the teen could promise, and god, wasn't he pleased to experience it. While most people would find their memories personal and private, Gabriel didn't care one jot who saw what he'd done, and the other people that lingered in his brain alongside. As the memory became darker, his grin only grew wider, and when Jesse was done, he looked casual, relaxed, if anything. "If you're wondering..." He started, nodding Jesse on from the scene where the girl and her friends lay. "They keep some of their personality inside my head. Sometimes I get to see dying moments through their very eyes." He looked sickeningly pleased at that point. "Some of the memories aren't my own." Eventually, he opened a small cafe door, and pushed it open, casually settling into a seat and letting out a sigh.

This kid had ambition, and it pleased him. Gabriel had already found something he'd been looking for. The waiting and the screaming girls were worth it, if Jesse would be willing to align himself to the cause. "The name is Gabriel." He said quietly, putting his legs up on the opposite chair. "And you are just what I've been looking for." There was a pause, as Gabriel let the smoke permeate his lungs and his own mind drowned out the tiny voice of the girl in his ear. Eventually his eyes calmly met Jesse's own. "You have a very, very powerful talent there, and wasting it playing around with the kiddies back at school is sacriledge."

At this point, a waitress asked for Gabriel's order, and he simply asked for two coffees, then waved her away. It took him a while to say what he wanted to say next, his voice dropping a few levels to a dull, gravelly whisper. "You and I, are a dying kind. They say we should get along with humans like some fucking hippie society. With talents like ours, we can make the world the way we want it. Wars, religion... our influence could change everything, and they expect us to act like lions in a cage." He stared at Jesse intensely. "I don't think you feel like being caged either." Time to let the kid ask more questions. If he wanted to know something further, he'd ask.

As the coffee cup arrived, Gabriel poured a little cream into it, stirring it slowly. Yes, everything was going just as he wanted it to go, and a ticket into Hammel's inner workings would be worth more than his entire enterprise.

Perfect.

[Jesse Adams]

At the rate Jesse was going, he’d be lucky to graduate. Especially with his powers intact. Especially after his little meeting with the shrink. His abuse of his ability stemmed from a need to torment people. It was hard to hide it, and unfortunately for him, he was on Sean’s radar now. Subtlety was something he lacked, because in his mind, it was more fun to cause trouble than to actually take care in hiding what he was doing. He didn’t mind being known as a bad guy. Just not by the shrink. “That’s the problem. I don’t give a shit.” About anyone, or anything, really. Except for Sasha, but no one knew about her. But the psych comment made him physically twitch, and glare. Bad can of worms to open up there, Gabe. The blonde twisted his fingers into a fist and knocked it against the wall in a miniature display of anger.

“Don’t fucking talk to me about shrinks. I’m already on the geezer’s radar. He doesn’t like me. Not that I care about that, but I have to see him like... twice a week. He threatened to take away my memories of having a power, and fuck, my power, too.” He gave the wall another little punch. “Fucking bastard.” It was at this point he actually bothered to pay attention to what Gabriel was saying. He arched an eyebrow. “Being a pyro is pretty fuckin’ useless. I like freaking people out.” He flexed the hand he had been using to hit the wall. “And ‘m not subtle, or whatever. I just do it for kicks.” This is where Gabe’s teaching will come in handy. If Jesse could learn to be subtle with his ability, he’d be a very, very deadly little creature.

The fact that Gabe took his ability in stride like that made Jesse... calm, actually. He wasn’t bothered by the twisted things he could do, unlike a certain geezer of a shrink that Jesse wasn’t going to think about. There were aspects of his own memories he didn’t want just anyone to access, but for the most part, he didn’t care about surface memory. It was all recent stuff, all him being a bastard. It was the deeper stuff, the good memories he had of his sister that he didn’t want anyone to see. But what he’d seen now made sense. No wonder the memories had been so fragmented. “Makes sense.” Obviously, he wasn’t put off with the idea of seeing death, either. In fact, he might even find it interesting. As Gabe pushed open the door, Jesse decided to follow him. He was too interesting to simply walk away from.

He sat down opposite Gabe, slowly, like he could change his mind on a whim, if he felt like it. He still held the burning cigarette between his fingers, and took another drag. At least he had a name now, to go with the face. He didn’t quite understand what Gabriel meant by ‘what he was looking for.’ “Jesse,” he replied quietly. “And what the fuck are you talking about?” He’d always known his ability was powerful. But he’d never thought of using it outside of Hammel. Not for anything big, anyway. He’d probably just torture his father with it, while he was home. Or make pretty dreams for Sasha. He scowled across at Gabe. “Maybe. But it’s sure as fuck fun.”

The fact that Gabriel ordered for him didn’t bother him. He was one of those teenagers that actually liked coffee, the bitter taste. Much to his classmates’ disgust, he’d down it black, and be happy about it. As Gabe lowered his voice, despite himself, Jesse leaned closer, interested. His eyes lit up with what the man was saying. Finally. “Fuck the humans. I’d rather die than be caged. It’s bad enough at Hammel. The teachers are all about our being nice to humans. But they’re so much more fun to mess with.” He smirked and snatched the other coffee cup, taking a drink. It was bitter, and it burned, but he didn’t care.

“You’re up to something. Why else would you hang around this dump?” He put the cup down and took another drag from his cigarette. “Whatever it is, I want in.” Only Jesse would be fuelled by his desire to hurt others enough to jump into something, without even knowing what it was. But one thing was for sure. Gabe was bound to be a better teacher then the saps back at Hammel.

[Gabriel Underwood]

Ah. So the kid was already under psych eyes. This made things more interesting. As he listened to Jesse rant, he closed his eyes and carried on sipping his coffee, listening, and plotting at the same time. If Jesse lost his power, he wouldn't be useful anymore, and if he left Hammel too soon after their meeting, there would be suspicion; that wouldn't do. Taking a deep inhale of smoke and tar, Gabriel began to speak. "So the shrink has his eyes on you, hm?" Rubbing his stubble, he looked up. "Time to learn how to act, and fast. Make it look like his words have really affected you, act sorry, play with the kiddies real nice." He laughed and shook his head. "They're too damn stupid to suspect anything, and by the time they do, you'll be a free man, and they can't do shit."

Gabriel liked Jesse already. He was a slightly rougher version of himself, and with a little polishing, a little filing here and there, and a touch of training, then he'd have himself one of his most valuable assets - aside from himself. As he appraised the teen, he flopped backwards in his seat, at ease with the conversation. It was going his way, and this made him a great deal more comfortable.

"I could offer you some sort of tutoring, I suppose." He murmurred, mostly to himself, eyes scanning Jesse for further clues as to what made him tick. "If you're willing to work hard and learn to mind fuck, then I'd be happy to." Flicking his coffee cup with a spoon, he looked out the window at the passing masses with idle curiousity; what he really wanted was already sat in front of him, but there could always be someone else who could snatch his curiousity and get him to play fun games off the two of them. Luckily for Jesse, Gabriel found no one of interest in the crowd. "So Jesse, do you want to learn how to play and not get caught?"

The answer was obvious, even to Gabriel, but he had to hear that affirmation to continue with his plans. A few hours a week he could spare to train Jesse, finding test subjects for him to fuck with and hone his powers on. Then the lessons in tact and subtlety could begin; learning to mess in crowds, and eventually, how to infiltrate important people, how to pick them out of a group. But Gabriel was getting ahead of himself, and that alone irritated him enough to finish his coffee and bang it down a little fiercer than he should have.

"I am up to something, you're right." He chuckled, that smirk rising up on his face again. "You ever heard of the Columbine massacre? Israel and Palestine?" Pointing to himself, Gabriel couldn't help but flash pure arrogance at Jesse, proud of the mess he'd caused. "The problem with humans is they're too fucking easy to convince or influence. A bomb here, an extremist there, and they're all jumping over themselves to start a fight." It was true, Gabriel had spent hours studying the nature of his toys, and knew exactly what made conflict, what got things fired up, and how he could make it happen.

"I bet you want to learn how to do that sort of shit too." An offer, which Gabriel handed out to a rare few. "And if you're willing to pay attention, not only will you get to play games with the big boys, but you'll get almost complete freedom." Jesse, as far as he was concerned, would be mad to refuse, and if he did, it would be the last thing he'd ever do.

Stubbing the cigarette out in the ashtray, he leant forward again and finally added, "If you can get me as much information about the Hammel students, teachers, psychs, powers. I want to know what's going on in that school, and if there's anyone with half as much promise as you."

[Jesse Adams]

Yes, yes the kid was under psych observation. And he was not at all pleased with this fact. He was under a serious threat from the old guy. Much as he didn’t want to stop being bad, he didn’t want to live out the rest of his life completely unaware he’d ever even had this much power over others. He balled his hands into fists again at the mention of the shrink, nodding his head. It was clear from the look in his eyes that he detested him. “Yeah. And I fuckin’ hate it.” Gabriel’s advice wasn’t exactly what the little blonde wanted to hear. He wanted to hear that he could outfox him, not play nice. He sneered, though it made sense. “That’s pathetic. Playing nice is for losers.” But he knew he had a point, like it or not. “Still... it’s something I didn’t consider. I wonder if he’d actually believe me.” He smirked, proud of himself. “I pushed his buttons real fuckin’ hard the other day. It was pretty fuckin’ cool.” Only Jesse would be proud of fighting someone to the point of being threatened right back at.

Much as Gabriel might like Jesse, Jesse found himself liking the other man. He’d never met someone like him before. Oh sure, his father was cunning and ruthless. But his battles were fought on the courtroom floor. He’d defend the most worthless excuses for human beings, and call himself a hero when he got a murderer off the hook. Jesse was a different breed. Some of it was born in him, some of it was his father’s twisted ideas about raising children. Either way, there was something inherently wrong with his perceptions of right and wrong. Which was probably why he and Gabriel were going to get along so well. Especially when Gabe wasn’t treating Jesse like a child.

Tutoring. Mind-fucking. Well. There were two words Jesse never thought would go together. Hard work was something Jesse generally liked to avoid. But if mayhem and cruelty were the results, well, that was a different story. “Mind fuck,” he repeated, testing it out. But Gabe’s question made him smirk in that special, wicked way. Getting caught was his worst problem at the moment. If Gabe could fix that, Jesse would be a whole new level of dangerous. And he liked that idea. A lot. “Fuck yes.” This was better than anything the Hammel trainers could do for him. They were all about being ‘kind’ to humans. Being gentle. Not mind fucking. He just found a great mentor in Gabriel.

This could be good. He could double dip. Learn to control his abilities at the school, develop them further. Use them for good there, only to flip that experience into the evil he was oh so capable of. With Gabriel, his sadistic mind would be nurtured, not shut down and locked away. He’d be praised for bringing harm, not punished. All in all, this wasn’t looking so bad.

Jesse arched an eyebrow at Gabriel’s obvious pride. He understood in seconds. “That was you?” He was officially impressed. Well, as impressed as a sadistic teenager can be. “Shit.” He leaned back in his chair, idly stabbing out his cigarette on the ashtray on the table. Gabe’s analysis on humans made him twitch into a smirk. He was right. He’d seen it. “Humans are pathetic. Weak. Stupid.” They bored him, because he wasn’t allowed to ‘play’ with them. And now Gabe was telling him he was. Gabe was officially a person of interest to him. If he could handle playing nice at school, he’d get out his frustrations here. It would be like withdrawal, from a drug he so badly needed to function. But every hit would be better and better.

Jesse snorted. “Psh, like you need to ask.” He stretched out in his seat, kicking his ankles together under the table. “It sounds better than the shit they’re teachin’ at Hammel. It’s bullshit. All rainbows and ‘be nice to humans.’” He sat up straighter, leaning across the table. His eyes were deadly serious as he listened to Gabe. A mole. He wanted a goddamn mole. He smirked, cocky as ever. “You teach me everything you got, and all I gotta do is spy for you?” It was too fucking easy. He leaned back again. “How much time you got? I know a little... enough to know there isn’t anyone as valuable as me in that hellhole.” Jesse’s ego could rival Gabriel’s, at times. But he was serious. Everyone else was intent on being nice to humans. He seemed to be the only one that shared Gabe’s mindset. Too bad for them.

[Gabriel Underwood]

Gabriel carried on listening to Jesse's rant about the shrink with a slow, analytic mind. In a vague sense, he wondered if this same "old guy" was the one who'd always kept an irritatingly close watch on him when he'd been at Hammel those years ago. "I'll be the first one to admit, playing nice is boring as all fuck. But better to act like some shiny assed rainbow kid than get your powers and memories stolen, right?" Gabriel had a point and he knew it. Jesse was too similar to himself to want to live out a life of mindless, humanoid work, without ever knowing what he'd had. "Obviously, do it gradually. Start nicing it up slowly. Too fast and that shrink will see right through it. It's like poker. Keep your cards to your chest and act like you've got nothing, or got everything. If you get good, then almost anyone will believe you."

Gabriel himself had no excuse for his sadistic behavior. He was born an asshole. His parents nurtured him, they took care of him, he wasn't some thick brainless idiot who could only bully. He'd just got some sort of horrendous sadistic gene imbedded in him, and from the age of five, he'd already started to develop it. Still, he could see a large amount of himself in Jesse, and nothing else would please him more. The kid had great potential, and even now, he could see him becoming someone to actually trust in his organisation. The others generally tended to be thugs, people he could use when he felt like it, but Jesse... Jesse would get star treatment if he played the game right.

"You know, by the time we're done, you're gonna be able to take someone down without anyone even realising you've done it." Gabriel sat forward and swirled the remaining coffee round and round in his cup. "And that's how the pro's play. Jesse, with a little bit of training and some hard work, I bet you could even start making wars yourself. Watch the humans obliterate themselves." Yes, he liked that. To just gently tap a domino and watch as the whole set toppled down, all from the weight of the other. This little scouting trip had turned out much better than he'd planned.

Gabriel already had some ideas on how to help Jesse. He'd start with some of his pawns, healers, so Jesse could practice over and over for hours without an irritating stockpile of broken humans piled up on the floor. Then he'd start drugging humans, bring them in asleep for Jess to practice on when his skills were strong enough. Eventually, of course, he'd show him how to do everything with a finesse that left no "fingerprints" or clues.

Yes. Gabriel had grand ideas already.

"It was." He growled in responce to Jesse's query, flopping back in the seat again and fighting a broader smirk. "And I'll be teaching you how to do shit like that, if, of course, you feel like staying on after I've trained you." It was an offer that Jesse would be mad to refuse. Gabriel's little organisation had enough funds to buy a small country, fingers in every pie across the world. If someone was known for having a problem with someone else, then in Gabriel would swoop, and just quietly light a candle to the tinderbox. "The fun thing is, it only takes one little push, then they all start decimating themselves." He smirked casually, and brushed down his suit. He'd have to get Jesse a tailored suit too, of course, and maybe some transport of his own.

"Then it's a deal?" Gabriel asked casually, eyeing the people in the cafe cautiously. If anyone had overheard their conversation, they'd be snuffing it pretty quickly. "I've got plenty of time. I was expecting to be stood around much longer before I found someone with quite as much skill as you." He rubbed his neck and chuckled at Jesse's arrogance, fingers moving towards the cigarette packet again. "Oh, I doubt there is. But let me put it to you this way. If I can find a way into one of the teachers heads, then we can start teaching things the way I want them to be taught, resulting in at least a few more half decent teens." With Gabriel inside Hammel, he could access important data on new students, corrupt and influence whilst leaving nothing to point back to himself.

"I might even find a way to get rid of that shrink for you."

A dangerous promise, for sure, but Gabriel had all the confidence he could pull it off.

[Jesse Adams]

“You’re damn right it’s boring as fuck.” Jesse wasn’t going to dispute that. Not a chance. He wasn’t all that fond of this proposition, despite knowing full well it was for the best. He was just horrifically stubborn. Doing anything that Sean wanted him to do didn’t sound like a good time. As far as he knew, the old man had an eye on him, and it was getting annoying. It was like anything he did was relayed back to him. Bastard. But Gabriel had some good points. He kicked at the empty chair’s leg beside him. “Guess so. But fuck, ‘t’s gonna screw with my rep.” Yes, his reputation of a heartless viper was important to him. “Still... think it’d work? Dude’s like... freaky. He’s watchin’ me.” Maybe the outburst he’d let loose in Sean’s office had been a bad idea. Maybe. It had earned him a real headache now. But Gabe’s idea was something Jesse hadn’t thought of. He’d do anything to get the old geezer off his back. Even... play nice.

Jesse planned on listening intently to what Gabriel had to teach. His trainers at Hammel were all about using power responsibly. But here was someone that proved quite the opposite. Hell, he was responsible for war. In Jesse’s books, that was the ultimate in the abuse of powers. And for that reason alone, Gabriel had just been elevated in status, in his twisted little mind. Anyone capable of that sort of destruction was worth listening to. All thoughts of government agents were out of his mind, now. Gabriel was the real deal.

Every word Gabriel said, Jesse was holding on to. If he paid such attention in class, he might actually earn passing grades. But talk of chaos and war was so much more interesting than Shakespeare. He was keenly interested in everything the man had to say. Especially the idea of causing damage without people knowing. It was harder, for him. He couldn’t “throw” his mental gift around. He had to have a physical link to his victim. It was harder to be subtle. “Obliteration. I can handle that idea.” Murder? Didn’t bother him. Hell, he’d watched his father get murderers off scot free, with a little inventive defence work. It was an art. ... Of course, it would be fun to murder the murderers. Taste of their own fucking medicine.

The kind of help Hammel offered was useless to a meta like Jesse. Too soft, too sickly sweet. He was all about the opposite end of the spectrum. He liked Gabriel already, because of his kindred spirit. Their shared, twisted minds working on the same wavelength. Perhaps this was why parents always told children not to talk to strangers. They might find the wrong stranger to talk to. Despite not knowing exactly what Gabe had in mind, it didn’t matter. Jesse was just eager to start the destruction. And the teaching.

The smirk tipped Jesse into thinking that Gabriel was about to say something fun. And he wasn’t disappointed. He’d never met anyone willing to nurture his wicked side before. Everyone at Hammel wanted to kill it, stomp it out like a dying flame. The problem was, the flame was too far spread. It wasn’t going to be snuffed. “Fuck. If my choices are staying with you, or going back to the hellhole, ‘m staying with you.” He wanted to train under Gabriel. The bastard knew what it was talking about, it seemed. He wanted in on this, and badly. He’d do anything to learn the darker side of meta-humans. Even if it meant spying. Spying was easy.

Deal? Hell yes. Jesse nodded, a lazy head bob, but it was a nod. “Fuck, yes.” The knowledge that Gabriel had time to listen made him smirk. He had a few ins. He knew a bit about the teachers. He leaned forward, aware that humans might be listening. “I only know about a coupla teachers. We got one, Bitchface Anya. She can shut down your powers for as long as she wants. And then there’s Kilbourne. He does mind control. He’s married to like... one of the recruiters. He talks about him a lot. I have no idea what the shrink can do, but it’s somethin’ mental.” If Gabe could really get into the teachers’ heads and teach the way he wanted to, he would be a happy little psychopath.

And the news about the shrink was even better. Jesse perked just a tad. “Fuck. You do that, and I’ll... do whatever the fuck you want.” Anything.

[Gabriel Underwood]

"It'll work." Gabriel purred, confident of his plan. Stretching his fingers out, he looked around the cafe and snorted in disrespect to the teams of humans around them both. "Just remember this, Jesse. If you respect humans, you're no better than one." Grinning, the man ran fingers through his hair and rolled his head from side to side, neck clicking pleasently. "Try it. Stick at it for a few weeks. If you don't see results, then just ditch the shithole. I'll find ways to keep those assholes away." Namely his lackeys. He knew the twins would make hell for anyone who made it too close to his private quarters.

But now Gabriel was tiring of the cafe, he had an idea of how to get Jesse even further involved in this little web, and he got up. "Want to see some chaos first hand?" He asked quietly, smirk still riding over his features like a threat. "Come with me." Nodding towards the door, he slowly strolled back out into the throngs of teenagers, shrieking and gossiping between themselves about something even he couldn't be bothered to listen to. In a parking slot a few paces away, a large silver ferrari lay. Yes, this was Gabriel's baby, his favourite car out of the hundreds he already owned, and with a quiet bleep, the car lay unlocked and ready to take part in any mayhem.

"Hop in, Jesse." He growled, swinging into the drivers seat and turning the ignition on. "You and I are going for a ride, and I'd bet my own life's work you're gonna like where we're going and what we're going to do." Chuckling to himself darkly, Gabriel waited for Jesse to hop in, then put his foot down on the accellerator, eyes narrowed. "A quick question." He asked as they continued to roar down the streets, paying little to no mind to other pedestrians and road users. "Wanna see someone slice their own hands off, or fuck themselves with a knife?" Lovely. No. Really. Just lovely.

Any sane person would reply "Neither, you sick fuck" but knowing how similar Jesse is to Gabriel, I'm guessing he'll like either of the suggestions.

Sure enough, after a few moments in the car, Gabriel pulled up again, down a backalley nearby where some sort of conference was taking place. "Here we are. Just sit and stay still a while." Closing his eyes a moment, he moved into the body of the person talking, and started to manipulate and change his words.

I don't give a fuck about any of you. The senator suddenly shouted. You're all fucking losers and I wish I'd never come to this piece of shit you call a town. The crowd gasped sharply as the Senator slammed his fists down on the little parapet that had been erected for his very purpose, and then he thundered off into the crowd, pushing and shoving the people out of the way. It was only fair that he then walked straight out into the road, in front of a car cruising towards him, and then he snarled, holding his hands out and suddenly looking shocked.

A sickening crunch filled the air.

Gabriel turned and looked at Jesse calmly. "Aint it fun when they look surprised?" He asked, grinning. "Silly fucker's gonna miss those hands." Resting his hands on the steering wheel, he sighed and rubbed his head. "It's just a pain that his thoughts are bouncing around in my skull. Annoying tosser he is, too." Serves you right Gabriel, goddamn serves you right.

[Jesse Adams]

It would work, if Jesse could stick to it. That would be the tricky part. He was a decent actor. He could pull off pretending to be sick well enough back home to get away with it. And he’d seen his father pretend to give a shit many many times. It wasn’t that hard. A few sweet, well phrased words, pretend like you care. It was just a game. “I don’t respect anyone.” Least of all random strangers he happens to meet in the mall. “Least of all humans.” Gabriel’s idea of just leaving Hammel was a temptation he would eventually find himself unable to resist. “I don’t get it. Why you’d do that for some punk kid you met in a mall.” Not that he was complaining, not at all. It was probably for the same reasons Jesse found Gabriel the most interesting person he’d ever met. ... Ever.

To anyone else, Gabriel’s offer would be the point where they might turn and walk away. But not Jesse. For Jesse, the simple promise of chaos was enough to make him listen. He stood up, following silently behind his new mentor, ignoring the teenagers. Even though he was closer in age to them, he couldn’t stand them. Gossip make his brain twitch, as did giggling and squealing. Childish, all of it. He followed Gabriel all the way outside, and at the sight of the silver car, his eyebrow arched just a touch. Hello, precious. “Nice ride,” he muttered grudgingly. If he could have anything in the world, it would be a midnight blue Mustang GT. But this would do. Nicely, actually.

He didn’t need urging. At the instruction, Jesse pulled open the door and slid in. His father had nice cars. A Jaguar, which was his pride and joy. But this blew them all out of the water. By a long, long shot. Even Gabriel’s driving didn’t bother him. Reckless? Sure. But it was so much more fun that way. The options he was posed with made him twitch into a cruel smirk. Fuck themselves with a knife? Really? He didn’t doubt Gabe could pull it off. But the hands thing sounded so much more fun. “Hands. More fun.” ... Charming.

Jesse had a keen interest in what was going on, what Gabe had in mind. While he didn’t typically like orders, he did as he was told in favour of being entertained. It didn’t take long. The sudden shouting made him twist into a smirk, though he tried to look a little surprised. It was easier said than done. He kept his eyes trained on the man as he went running into the road.

The crunch made Jesse’s mouth contort into a very cruel, very satisfied smile. “That was brilliant, Gabriel.” His eyes showed a keen interest in what he’d just witnessed. He didn’t want to go back to Hammel, now. He wanted to stay with Gabriel, and watch more. He wanted him to teach him how to get away with this. But he had a job to do. “So. I spy for you. You teach me to do that?” It was deal. A hundred times over, it was a deal. Because Jesse could not see a downside.

[Gabriel Underwood]

"Because you've got potential and it'd piss me off to see you in the hands of some fucking pussyass loser." Gabriel growled in responce to Jesse's question, fingers at his hair again. "Good luck with the giddy happy sparkle act." He added, resting his head back and closing his eyes, smirk written all over his face.

Of course, Gabriel had more money than he had sense. A whole forecourt of cars, houses in every country in the world, apartments in various places he regularly dropped by, private jets, a few small, discreet businesses... snap your fingers and ask nicely, and Gabriel would somehow get it for you. Jesse would be getting this treatment from now on; cars, clothes, no expense spared. In fact, the man was already thinking as to what car to buy Jesse as a gift for spying for him.

Oh yes, everyone in Gabriel's little "tick list" got treated the same. Well. Or at least, mostly well, if they could cope with mild verbal abuse.

But now Gabriel had pulled off his final party trick, and he was feeling pretty damn tired. "Okay Jesse, fun time over." He grunted, driving the car up the back streets towards Hammel. "I'll see you, same place, in a week. Or..." He trailed off, parking up nearby the institute and writing a few things out on a piece of paper. "Here's my private number. Don't ring me about kiddie shit, I just want information and an update on what you're doing." Snorting, he pushed the paper into Jesse's hands. "I'll teach you everything. And, though I rarely promise, I do promise that."

Nodding Jesse out the car, the man grinned. "Good luck with the poker game, Jess. Don't lose that bit of paper." And with a lazy flick of his hand, Gabriel sped off back where he'd come from, looking forward to a bit of gentle shuteye.