Never Smile at a Crocodile (Sean)

[Lani Hunter]

The telekinetic could only stand for so much pacing before it started to drive him insane. This was taking too long. Lani knew about as much about real law as those in law knew of underground law. Underground law was swift and often permanent. There were no hoops to jump through, no trials. If someone declared you guilty that was that. If the evidence was strong, hell there didn’t need to be any evidence. Lani was really starting to regret trying to get the law involved. He wanted this to be over. No, he needed this to be over. He needed this to be over before he could move on with his life. The longer it took them to get a plan settled or for whatever the hell the law was doing while it was sitting on its hands the longer it gave Lani’s boss to plan. Lani didn’t understand it. They had all they needed, didn’t they? Why hadn’t something happened yet.

Granted Lani was also working underground. He couldn’t just wait around for his boss to plan something. So when a woman he used to work with had approached with a proposition Lani saw a way out. She wanted him to do underground justice on his boss. He knew very well his boss was guilty and deserved it tenfold. Even now he was relishing in the idea but he wasn’t sure he could do it when he finally came face to face with it. Lani wasn’t sure how much the telepath had been able to glean from his thoughts about his very real, or what he had thought was real, fatherly relationship Lani had had with his boss. Dr. Neville didn’t need to know how deeply the betrayal had struck, nor his sharp the steel of reality had bitten him. Lani was still wondering if he had done the right thing letting the good doctor into his mind.

Lani was supposed to be at a training session. This once he felt it was justifiable that he was late, or didn’t show up at all. This was important now. Training could wait and Lani couldn’t another moment. Nothing was happening. This was why no one trusted the law. They never did anything. The police were a joke, Lani had proven that more than a thousand times in his life. It was time for Lani to do what he should have been prepared to do when he first left his boss. He swallowed the dark thoughts and attempted to brush them from his mind but the more he thought about the betrayal, the disillusionment the more the pain turned to anger and the more Lani wanted to pull that trigger. Pacing the halls Lani barely registered the presence of those still at Hammel as he strode toward Dr. Neville’s office. How often had he been here now? Too often. People were going to start thinking he was crazy.

It was good thing the door was open because Lani didn’t give a damn what Dr. Neville had planned Lani was done. He was sick of waiting, sick of being afraid of his own shadow. Sick of waiting for someone to call him and tell him his sister or parents were dead. He couldn’t live like this. This was ending. Now. He didn't knock on the door and instead slipped inside without regard for politeness. He didn't even bother closing the door. "I'm done with this." He said a little more harshly than he had initially intended. It really wasn't Dr. Neville's fault the law was useless, the good doctor had just been trying to help but all of Lani's frustrations and anger were starting to seep through.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean had always been a relatively law-abiding person. As a boy, he had followed closely to the letter of the law, irrespective of what those laws were: laws of the nation and the state, the laws of the Church, the rules of his school, the rules created by his parents...as he had grown into adulthood, he had learned how to follow the spirit of the law in addition. More than that, he had learned how to balance the spirit of the law with the letter of the law; he always chose the spirit over the letter, and he had for decades.

There were times when he had to break one to preserve the other. There were also times when the laws themselves veered so far astray from what was right or necessary that he was forced to side with what was right over what was proper.

Still, far more times than not, the psychiatrist believed that following the law was the right course of action. At the very least, he found it better than the alternatives: the Hobbesian state of nature that would lead only to the rise of a brutal leader using force to take and keep control. As it was, such a hierarchy existed within the seedy underbelly of many areas of this nation and this world. Shining a light on that, while providing meaningful alternatives, was the only remedy.

Sean would be a hippie until his dying day; his entire belief system was shaped by that.

Unfortunately, the wheels of justice, much like the wheels of progress, grinded slowly. When dealing with law enforcement and the justice system, rules had to be followed to the letter; upholding the spirit behind the laws was not satisfactory in its own right.

The psychiatrist had tried to explain this to Lani when they had first discussed judicial intervention. Unfortunately, Sean wasn’t an attorney, and he hadn’t been an attorney in his past life; what he tried to explain lacked the intricate knowledge that those with legal training possessed. He might be able to use lay terms instead of legal jargon, but that did little to solve the underlying problems or to allay Lani’s time concerns.

Although Sean tried his best. From what he’d been informed, there had been progress, albeit the slow progress often involved with mafia investigations and mounting a case.

Thus, the psychiatrist was not surprised when he felt Lani’s approach, nor when the door was opened fully – rather than merely ajar – and the young man announced that he no longer wanted to wait for the law to catch up with his situation. That was problematic, because there existed few viable alternatives.

“Why don’t you sit down?” Sean proposed, his voice even, not rising to the harshness of Lani’s declaration. The subtle implication was that he acknowledged the telekinetic’s intention rather than his delivery, and that he hadn’t taken offense. “We can discuss this.”

[Lani Hunter]

Much of what Dr. Neville had tried to explain to the telekinetic had gone in one ear and out the other. He didn’t care very much for the law and if he ever were in trouble with it he would do his very best to escape. He wasn’t trusting his guilt on how well someone lied for him in court. Lani shared the common idea of lawyer and police stereotypes. Often times stereotypes had basis in truth but then again one always got into trouble with generalizations. Lani was a simple man he wasn’t good at playing the game. He was good at playing it when he was underground but that was when he was on an even playing field with everyone involved. When it came to the law, Lani couldn’t know less about it. Lani’s blood was boiling for something to happen.

After everything that had happened the thought of betrayal from Dr. Neville had crossed Lani’s mind. The idea was quickly quelled by Lani’s stubbornness, and perhaps a little bit of his need to be able to rely on someone older than him. He didn’t really count his parents, they were there if he needed them but that was family. It was different. Part of Lani was looking forward to the look on his boss’s face when he pulled the trigger. Lani’s hands balled into fists, he fancied himself a hero, a protector. But all the steps he had taken to this point had only lead toward his own demise. He tried his best to disregard what he had been told, but he couldn’t hide from the fact that he was a terrible protector. Everyone he had sought to protect had gotten hurt and he had no one to blame but himself. Which was why he needed to set things right.

Coming to Dr. Neville had been a good plan when he was walking and he had meant it to be civil. That was quickly proving not to be the case. His anger and frustration was starting to be displaced onto the telepath. He knew Dr. Neville didn’t mean anything by his calm demeanor but Lani honestly couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t panicking as much as Lani was panicking. Maybe it wasn’t his neck on the line and that was why but Lani was seriously starting to wonder why exactly Dr. Neville left his façade of calm. Lani had not wised up and though he liked the telepath he still didn’t trust him very much. Letting the telepath into his mind had been a huge step and not one that Lani had taken lightly. No one was that calm all the time. Lani had watched Dr. Neville carefully when he went to the police and found he quite enjoyed the fact that he rested in an air vent right in their own building while they interviewed.

“Sit down?” Lani asked calmly and that was where his calm ended. Lani took a few more steps into the room in a fury. “I’m not going to sit down! And I don’t want to discuss this. I’m sick of this!” Lani exclaimed in frustration, but regardless kicked the door closed with his power. It hit a little harder than he expected and he gave it a scouring gaze and clamped down on his power. “Every minute they’re sitting on their asses is another minute my boss has a plan!” It was unwarranted for Lani to take out his frustration on Dr. Neville but all that raced through his mind was what terrible things could happen. Terrible things had already happened to his friends and he knew that if anything escalated and happened to his parents or Caroline Lani wouldn’t be able to contain the fury of his power that would come out. No one would survive. Lani would make sure of that.

Taking a deep breath and letting it carry away his anger as he blew it out, Lani tried again. “Look, I can’t wait around for them to do something. This needs to end. Now.” Lani’s eyes flashed as he dared Dr. Neville to try to convince him otherwise. If it meant it would be over now he would do whatever it took. If it meant that Odion and Caroline, Adrianna and his parents, Dr. Neville and all of the world would be safe Lani would pay whatever price they laid. He was already working on a plan with Odion, he needed to make sure that Dr. Neville didn’t bother with this any further, as it might interfere with Lani’s new plans.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

In Sean’s idealized world, the entire system of justice would look and would function quite differently than they did in the present United States. However, he lacked the authority and the intimate knowledge to make those changes himself, and thus all he could do was act as an intermediary between Lani, the District Attorney, and law enforcement. He acknowledged that it was easier to be the intermediary than it was to be the person at immediate risk, and he couldn’t fault Lani for his impatience, given the situation. Such urges were quite understandable from a psychological perspective. They simply weren’t beneficial, given the situation as it existed.

Additionally, while the psychiatrist was quite sympathetic to the stresses on the boy, he also was not Lani’s enemy. He didn’t want to be treated like an enemy, since they were on the same side. They had different perspectives, since Sean believed that adhering to the law when it was actually working, however slowly, was preferable to vigilantism. He never wanted to brush with vigilantism again. He glanced briefly at the closed door, which had shut forcefully through Lani’s power, but as nothing was broken, and the boy’s thoughts read as contrite, he was fine to simply leave it without comment. Instead, he would focus on the immediate matter before them.

The District Attorney was on their side, this time (as opposed to in the context of a broader discussion about systemic injustice). Sean was in communication with the District Attorney to discuss progress, and he knew that the office was trying with the resources it had at its disposal. Budget cuts due to the sequester made all governmental avenues a little tighter, a little narrower, a little slower.

“Do you remember what I explained about Double Jeopardy?” To the best of his ability, the psychiatrist had explained the judicial process to Lani, so that the boy would know what would occur. He knew for a fact that he had mentioned Double Jeopardy before, when explaining how cases worked and the reasons for the inevitable waiting period. “If the police move too quickly, and the prosecutors are unprepared and lose the case, then they can never bring him to trial for those crimes again, even if they learn something new and damning. I don’t know what their exact strategy is, but I understand why they don’t want to rush.” Those were incredibly high stakes, given Lani’s boss’s connections and his past deeds, as indication of what he was willing to do in retaliation.

Then, his attention focused fully on the boy, he added, “Do you also remember the discussion about prosecutorial immunity? The law can’t protect you if you act on your own.”

[Lani Hunter]

There was one enemy in this situation but this enemy had several arms and Lani’s frustration was stemming from the end of the protection they had been able to get from Hammel. Now they had graduated and Odion was living alone and Lani had a roommate. At least Adrianna was safe in California. Not even Lani’s boss was crazy enough to travel that far. It was a stretch that he had had a small branch in Vermont for a while. Mob bosses were extremely territorial and it was only the power that his boss had that kept him from starting up an all out war. Lani was surprised and glad to have Dr. Neville’s help but he was getting endlessly frustrated, partially because he couldn’t control it, and partially because it was moving like molasses. This was the last time Lani worked with the law. They did nothing quickly. It was true, if one wanted something done, one had to do it themselves.

From what Lani had been able to gather, the police were interested and promised to help but if a conviction was not absolute Lani would most definitely be keeping to the shadows. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to him having to testify. The area of government was over Lani’s head and he honestly didn’t know what was taking so long. Did gathering evidence really take so long? Lani’s ignorance was basing it off of how easily the ‘bad guys’ were caught in the movies and on television. It was usually then that he recalled that more often than not he was a ‘bad guy’ as well. Lani nodded at the familiar term. He didn’t remember what it meant but he did remember the doctor talking about it. Lani thought it sounded like an excuse to go slow. If they wanted evidence Lani would hand deliver it. Well, perhaps not hand deliver. But deliver it someway or another.

Nodding along as the psychiatrist explained again, probably figuring that Lani had shoved it out of his mouth. Lani seethed but he listened attentively. “There will be other crimes, trust me. I can list about a hundred right now.” Lani said seeing no need for the worry of not being able to convict his boss on one thing. There were a myriad of others. “Don’t they feel at least the littlest hint of urgency?” Lani demanded. “How hard is it honestly?” He ranted not really expecting an answer. He knew he should have stuck with underground means. There was already deep seeded distrust of the law from people like Lani, it had been drilled in his head and it was a risk for him to even start this plan up. And now he understood why. It was shooting himself in the foot.

Lani scoffed and would have liked to have said he remembered that term as well but that went shooting well over his head. What it sounded like Dr. Neville was telling him was that he had very successfully dug his grave and now merely needed to wait for the firing squad. Lani found himself laughing as he raked his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry Dr. Neville, but the law can’t protect me now. He’s been too quiet. He’s planning something. I can’t wait for it to happen.” What Lani needed now was a clear shot at the enemy. He wasn’t going to wait for there to be blood on his hands. The blonde demonness’s words rang over and over in his head. He didn’t want to believe what she had said about him being a terrible protector. But one thing he was sure of. He couldn’t fail again. Lani gestured wildly as if Dr. Neville as well didn’t appreciate the gravity of the situation either. “You don’t understand.” Lani accused. He liked to imagine himself as an adult but something stressful happened and he turned into a sulking teenager again.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean suppressed a sigh at the question, as he nodded to answer it, despite the fact that he realized that it was – if not entirely, then at least partially – rhetorical and sarcastic. “They do feel a sense of urgency, since the District Attorney has explained the stakes to them. They’re doing everything that they can, including working undercover, in order to investigate. But they still have to preserve his legal rights because that’s how the system is. If they break the law, then he gets off scot-free, everyone else is at a greater risk because your boss is on notice of the investigation, and anything that the police might have discovered is contaminated, so they can never use it again.” Those were high stakes, and since nobody was being bribed, they were very important to keep in mind.

The wheels of justice ground slowly but they ground in the right direction. That could be of small comfort when one was up against an immediate threat. The psychiatrist realized that.

“It can be very hard, since they aren’t privy to everything that you’ve known, and they’re limited by who agrees to testify. If they can’t get enough people to testify on their behalf as to what your boss has done and what he has planned, then they have to see it themselves. That takes a lot more time.”

Sean was, in fact, not telling Lani that he was left to his own devices, waiting to be summarily executed by his boss. However, there were only so many ways that he could explain the legal system to someone else, given that he was not a lawyer and had no legal background. He was doing his best with what resources and language he had at his disposal, but he knew that this was not what Lani wanted to hear. Would that he could provide actual guarantees, but that was beyond his authority and abilities.

The psychiatrist did understand the great amount of stress under which the young telekinetic found himself. He understood the abject fear involved, and he understood frustration with the legal system. However, the police in Pilot Ridge were no longer the corrupt, disinterested group that they had been three years ago, when Hammel had been under attack. That meant that, ethically and practically, they needed to work with the police and Distract Attorney, rather than taking matters into their own hands.

More than that, Lani was still a teenager. That Sean’s hand had been forced years ago did nothing to make it a better option than the current situation. He didn’t want Lani to do anything that would put his life at risk more than it already was, either by reprisals from his boss or because he had run afoul of the judicial system. “I understand better than you expect,” he replied, keeping his full attention on the boy as he spoke. “The law isn’t a perfect remedy, and I don’t think it is perfect, but I don’t want you getting hurt.”

That was not something that they had discussed aloud, as such, but the psychiatrist thought that Lani needed to hear it. Aside from his sister and his friends, there was someone – an adult – who cared about him and wanted to protect him.

“I’m sure there will be more crimes, but it isn’t as simple as that.” More to the point, Sean didn’t want Lani to be a victim of any of those crimes, nor did he want the boy mixed up with them in any other way.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani started to pace as if suddenly finding the office far too small, confining. There was the window and the air vent he had made himself familiar with but nonetheless he felt caged. Maybe it was the shackles that the law was trying to place on him. Indirectly but cold as iron on his wrists in his minds eyes and when he looked at his hands he saw them and he gritted his teeth against the vision. He was not struggling out of one chains to jump into another. Wherever he was people were trying to control him. The realization was new to him and even as Dr. Neville spoke of undercover agents and the specifics of the law Lani’s mind was working and he was seeing Dr. Neville in a different light. “Ch!” Lani cut the noise through his teeth and waved a dismissive hand. Then something interesting happened.

It all made sense. Why his boss was biding his time, it all made sense. Lani blinked at Dr. Neville as if the telepath had just donned a dress and presented himself as the fairy godmother. Idiot! His mind screamed and he picked up something at random and it launched itself into the wall. Something glass, it shattered. “He what?” Lani hissed through clenched teeth his eyes narrowed and his fists quivering at his sides. In all made sense now! What an idiot he had been! If Lani’s boss knew that an investigation was going on of course he’d be careful! He was furious and the longer this took the more business his boss was bound to lose and the more he would want to see Lani’s head on a stick. But Lani knew better, death would be too merciful, he’d seen it happen before. He honestly got a little woozy and his hand went to his forehead as images of a Caroline begging for her life struck his mind. A dead Odion and Adrianna. Dr. Neville! His parents… Oh God his whole family!

He glared at Dr. Neville his irrational mind fueling his fire. Lani found himself laughing, but there was no humor to be found in such a sound. “No one is going to testify,” Lani said, perhaps he should have said that at first. “What this is. This is suicide.” Lani was weary of the whole system. There was the connection from Pilot Ridge then to Boston and that was perhaps what was the slowest going. But Lani was inclined to trust the Pilot Ridge police more than Boston’s. His boss had so many people in his back pocket. It was as Hercules and the hydra only unlike the myth Lani had only his hands and his monster already had a thousand heads. Lani did not imagine himself a great hero, but rather a man simply wishing to live his life uninhibited. He wanted to taste freedom, not the illusions spun by mortal men but the true breath of freedom. The strength of this conviction drove Lani, so the telekinetic lead himself to believe, to take this risk.

In a sense if it came to a punishment from his boss or from the legal system Lani would take the legal system. Anything they could give him would be like a slap on the wrist. Besides, he had his power to rely on, he doubted they could hold him for long. A few years older but still as arrogant as ever. Lani let his icy eyes rest on Dr. Neville his expression deceptively bored. Lani swallowed and frowned at Dr. Neville, he knew the good doctor would try to talk him out of it, but this wasn’t a discussion this was an informative talk. Lani’s mind cried foul at first, but Lani himself quickly dispelled the idea, no, Dr. Neville had been in his mind, he didn’t doubt that Dr. Neville’s heart was in the right place. Lani’s harsh gaze softened and he gave the doctor a sly smile. He had a scar from the two previous times he had gone to Boston, this was the third and Lani wasn’t going to leave with a scar.

Perhaps it was the fact that Dr. Neville had at one point been in his mind but the express of care sat like a weight on Lani’s heart. How many times had someone said that and lied? His boss, a hundred times, his father, perhaps even more. He wished that the words didn’t touch him as deeply as they did. Dr. Neville may be the first adult who believed in him, believed he could be something other than screwed up. But this, this was not working. Fact of the matter was Lani was a screw up, he failed more than he succeeded and he needed to… he didn’t even know, atone for that maybe?

Lani licked his lips and struggled to control his temper which was on the precipice and should he slip something bad might happen in this office. He needed to leave that to his boss. Cool and calculated Lani spoke: “I want to thank you for your efforts, Dr. Neville, I appreciate the risks you have taken.” Lani swallowed again. “I’m not the one that’s going to hurt this time.” He said his eyes holding the fire of his power that trashed and roared at the idea of tearing his boss to pieces. The violence in Lani’s own mind scared him, he wasn’t a killer and despite what his power might want he wasn’t sure he could go through with it when the time came. His hand was on the knob now, he paused and didn’t look up at Dr. Neville as his eyes fell on glass. “Sorry about that,” he gestured at the shattered glass.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean didn’t try to stop Lani’s pacing, nor did he remark upon it. If the exercise helped the young telekinetic to focus and to work off some of his frustration, then it was a net positive, as far as the psychiatrist was concerned. As it was, he didn’t mind when people moved around him during a conversation, even if he was inclined to remain stationary because of his knees, his back, and his general demeanor.

The psychiatrist understood that Lani had a variety of competing interests, many of them selfish if not outright nefarious, vying for his time, attention, and loyalty. Sean was not among that group, as he was here very much as a concerned advisor. He didn’t want further harm to befall either the telekinetic or his loved ones. Following the standards of the law was, by his assessment, the best way to ensure that outcome did not come to pass. The rules were complicated because any system of law had to balance the rights of the accused with the safety of society, which could never work to complete satisfaction. He had his differences of opinion with how their legal system functioned, but at this time, he had as much faith as he could in the system, as opposed to vigilante justice.

As soon as the image of Lani’s sister, his friends, his parents all dying entered the telekinetic’s mind, Sean saw it clearly for himself. That was the effect of telepathy at close range, particularly when a thought so impassioned cropped up. The psychiatrist understood, perhaps far more than Lani or anyone (save Josh and a few coworkers, some no longer employed at Hammel) might believe. The concerns were a natural aspect of love and responsibility, and Sean didn’t envy Lani this position.

Of course, that train of thought was interrupted when the glass went flying, shattering on impact and sending shards in all different directions. Fortunately, the wall wasn’t in the same direction where Sean was located, but there was blowback. Reflexively, the psychiatrist raised his hands to block his face and stop any shards that came his way. His hands and arms remained unscathed.

The psychiatrist wasn’t surprised to hear that none of the boss’s underlings were willing to testify. That was, after all, a primary concern where mafia and conspiracy cases were involved. It was also why the District Attorney had assured him that an undercover investigation was required. If nobody on the inside was willing to take the risk, even with prosecutorial immunity and the Witness Protection Program available to them, then an outside agent had to gain the benefit of insider knowledge. As explained, that greatly slowed the process. At least the Pilot Ridge police department, slow as it was, was also less corrupt than it had been. Sean, too, believed it less corrupt than Boston, primarily because nobody would bother bribing the Pilot Ridge police, now that Gabriel Underwood was dead, M.S.A.D. was destroyed, and the Vermont government had done a clean out of those officers responsible several years ago.

That gave them a chance that they might lack elsewhere. It was also wholly out of the psychiatrist’s hands, since he wasn’t involved in law enforcement. He had helped to set the system into motion, but he couldn’t control it beyond that.

“Don’t do anything rash,” he warned Lani, just as he had warned the boy before. Going off and taking untold risks created an increased likelihood of Lani being injured or otherwise incapacitated. That wouldn’t protect his sister, the rest of his family, or his friends. It would only leave them to mourn and pick up the pieces, while the threat remained, perhaps incensed because of the telekinetic’s boldness. As he had said before, the psychiatrist did not want the boy to find himself in any additional danger, not on his watch. Meeting Lani’s eyes, his own gaze filled with gentle concern and determination, Sean said, “If you want, I can set up a meeting with the District Attorney again.”

If offered immunity, perhaps Lani would feel comfortable speaking to law enforcement. If not, then they were running out of options.

Particularly since the boy’s next words sounded like the final speeches given before someone took the law into his own hands. “What is your contingency plan?”

It had to be asked.

As for the glass, Sean gestured in the direction of one of the cabinets. “There’s a broom and dustpan in there.”

[Lani Hunter]

Lani’s mind was not completely working in a sane direction as it was barraged by the images of all the people he knew dead. If anyone got killed because of him he’d never be able to live with himself. He was surprised he hadn’t lost it when someone had gotten hurt because of him. The precise reason why this needed to end. It should have ended when his boss first had Adrianna and Odion. He should have done what he needed to do then, but the damn morals got in the way. He closed his eyes and did his best to calm himself down. He winced when Dr. Neville flinched away from the shards. He gritted his teeth remembering the broken window incident in the training rooms. It was dangerous to be around him when he was as uncontrolled as he was. Any strong emotion and, well something like that happened.

Without having to think about it Lani’s power reached out and even if any shards had been heading in the good doctor’s direction they would have missed. But then catching them would have given more lethal shards in his hands. He gave a shamed and apologetic look to the telepath and was sincerely glad that Dr. Neville hadn’t seen what was in his head. He might not take it well that Lani was imagining dead people of whom Dr. Neville was among. The next thought was terrified, what if Dr. Neville had seen that. Then he would know the true nature of his feelings for Odion, or would he? Lani bit his teeth this was counterintuitive, the more he worried about it the more he thought about it and the greater the probability that Dr. Neville was going to be privy to the information.

Lani brought a hand to his forehead and barked out a sharp laugh. “Oh, what?” Lani gave Dr. Neville an acidic glance made the more sour by his smile. “Like joining a crime lord, or being stupid enough to think I could leave?” He demanded harshly his tongue snapping against his teeth like a whip not pulling any blows at himself. Honestly, how much worse could things get? He’d hit rock bottom and sworn not to go back only to let himself get knocked back down. The only reason he hadn’t fallen back into the deep abyss of his mind was because of Odion. He owed Odion far more than his life. Lani shook his head like a dog. “No. I do not want another meeting. I want results! But, no that’d be too much to ask.” He snarled his power threatening to break out again. All it wanted was to destroy something. Or rather, it wanted to be pointed at Lani’s former boss and it wanted to be let go.

They were out of options.

Lani’s lips turned down and he looked at the handle his hand rested on and his hand hesitated. He glared at it and demanded it open but he couldn’t. It was subtle, more of a statement that Lani could ignore or heed. He was a thief, he didn’t have morals! Why was he burdened so? Emotions be damned! Morals be damned! Even as his mind screamed it he knew he’d be haunted by the idea of leaving like this. He sighed and not so gently let his head fall against the door.

He retrieved the dustpan and broom without using his powers, he didn’t trust it right now. His plan? He always had a plan. He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t have a plan. “It’s not something I want to do.” Lani said frustrated figuring Dr. Neville already had some idea. Lani focused on the shards of glass. They reflected the light like a millions of tiny mirrors all now casting shadows as light refracted through their shattered frames. Very much like people. “I’ve never regretted it. If right now I had to make that choice again, there’d be no question.” The telekinetic didn’t know why he was saying it, perhaps he needed Dr. Neville to understand how flawed he was. He swept the shards of glass into a neat pile moving here and there to get a stray shooter. He paused looking at the pile of flawed glass and let out a laugh that sounded closer to a cry. He was not going to digress into asking ‘why me’. “How much of this is my fault?” Lani asked instead his voiced strained. He gave a slight glance to the telepath before staring back at the glass.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean had four decades of experience when it came to overhearing thoughts, or seeing projected images, without giving any outward indication that he had experienced them. It didn’t matter how repellant or disturbing the thoughts were, it didn’t matter if the thoughts involved him (as Lani’s thoughts of his demise certainly did), and it didn’t matter how many secrets were contained those thoughts. The psychiatrist’s expression remained the same as it nearly always was, the same as it had been before Lani had begun to panic and image the demise of everyone for whom he had the slightest bit of affection. Besides, as a man in a relationship with another man himself, Sean was the last person who would judge Lani for his feelings for Odion. He simply wouldn’t mention them at all.

That wasn’t the point of today’s visit.

He didn’t react to the images of his own potential demise either. Inwardly, he considered it a good sign, as it meant that he was making some traction with Lani; that had been evident from the fact that the boy continued to interact with him, but this type of confirmation was encouraging in its own right. He appreciated that the telekinetic might have concerns on his behalf, but Sean had been fully informed (or informed enough) when he had begun this course of action. He knew the potential risks, but those didn’t dissuade him from acting as he did, and doing what he believed needed to be done.

The question was one that, on a moral, omniscient level, Sean was not wholly qualified to answer. Nobody had elected him arbiter of divine judgment. Moreover, he had only become more familiar with Lani long after the young telekinetic had been in the mafia boss’s employ for a long while, after he had already had trouble with his boss. Not having been there from the very beginning, he could give an objective answer that held any moral weight, in terms of minor occurrences. For instance, he didn’t know how inclined Lani was to certain petty acts; the young telekinetic had taken his wallet for no reason. Then again, Lani had also returned it without prompt and without taking anything from the wallet.

At the same time, he was a counselor first and foremost, tasked with the responsibility of listening and offering whatever assistance he could. As such, he could say everything that was applicable, that of which he was certain. He met the boy’s eyes in the brief instance that Lani looked at him. “You aren’t responsible for the actions of other people, and you certainly aren’t at fault for what adults did when taking advantage of you as a teenager.”

No amount of guilt from Lani or threats from someone linked to Lani’s boss could change Sean’s mind regarding that interpretation. Lani was still a teenager, but he had been even younger when this had all begun. Teenagers made poor decisions, which was the reason behind why they couldn’t vote, couldn’t drink legally, couldn’t sign enforceable contracts, couldn’t run for office, and often weren’t allowed to drive after dark, if at all, depending on age.

“It isn’t your fault that he’s a dangerous man, and you’re doing what you can to leave. You have the right to leave.” They had discussed that before. Despite the inherent dangers in leaving the mafia, Sean very much supported the right to do so as a matter of self-determination. He unwaveringly believed it to be the right course of action, even with the risks. "His actions are on him, not on you."

The psychiatrist said nothing when Lani chose to retrieve the dustpan and broom without the use of his powers. If the telekinetic desired to do this by hand, then that was his choice. Sean simply stayed out of his way while he cleaned.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani continued sweeping in slow determined strokes into the already neat pile. He listened and just kept the motion like it was the only thing linking him to the world. Pausing after the first sentence Lani rested his head against the end of the broom for a moment. This was the answer he wanted, but somehow it didn’t feel real. Like someone was trying to coddle him. Would Dr. Neville still want to do so if Lani followed through on his plan? Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. He had Odion and he could do anything. He just needed this over. He’d had this feeling of foreboding for a while and he needed it to be gone so that he could move on with his life. Lani gave a small sigh and shook his head as if again thinking that Dr. Neville didn’t understand. How could he, he wasn’t a thief.

It was strange that someone reacted kindly to him and he couldn’t handle it. An adult that was. Lani knew he was trying to pick a fight, with Dr. Neville he always was. He really didn’t know why getting the telepath to get angry or frustrated was a goal of his. “But, what about everything else? My actions are my own.” He turned back to Dr. Neville, “Dr. Neville, I’m not going to change. You know that as much as I do.” So why was he still trying? Lani had a hard lump in his heart and one person had been able to break through and that had been an extremely painful endeavor. For both of them. And then there was his boss who had known him inside and out and had done everything in his power to give Lani a feeling of power and bonds. It was terrifying to have someone know him so much.

Perhaps that was the problem with the telepath. Just by the nature of his power he knew too much. People who knew things generally didn’t have good intentions, or if they did they never worked out like they were supposed to. And now here was Dr. Neville telling him it wasn’t his fault. At least not for the circumstances. But his hands were his own and no one had moved them for him. Lani shuttered a little as he imagined an alternate world where they weren’t his. In the end it had been his decision and he had made the wrong one. But then his sister would probably be elsewhere. And having her here was worth all of the pain and all of this agony.

“But, I don’t.” Lani shook his head. Technically regardless of how much he paid, how much he begged when he’d signed himself on it had been a permanent employment. Lani crouched and picked up a larger piece of glass and placed it into the dust pan then holding the broom down by the head he carefully swept the rest of the shards into the pan. “I’m not asking you about his actions. I’m asking you about mine.” Lani rose to his feet and looked at Dr. Neville now. “Trashcan?” He held the glass up and his power swept over the floor and searched for missed shards. There were a few under a cabinet, Lani decided to leave them be.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean didn’t believe in permanent contracts, aside from the social contract by which everyone in a society was bound. The psychiatrist tended towards suspicion when someone requested a permanent contract with another person, particularly for business arrangements, particularly when one of those involved as a minor. Lani had been in no position to offer permanent servitude to his Boss and his causes at the time when the telekinetic had first begun working for the man. He had also been in no position to refuse, because adolescents were at a marked disadvantage when contemplating the full ramification of their promises when viewed as indefinite or permanent.

“Your actions are your own,” the psychiatrist agreed, as he wasn’t attempting to infantilize Lani. He simply refused to lose sight of those who were far more at fault than the teenager was. “But your Boss’s actions are his own too, and he’s a grown adult who makes a living through extortion, theft, and violent retribution.”

Which then segued into a conversation about Lani’s behavior. This was also an area where the psychiatrist and the telekinetic did not see eye-to-eye. “You returned my wallet to me,” he reminded the teenager. That was significant, in that it was the act that had gotten Sean involved in the situation as a whole. It had also demonstrated good faith on Lani’s part, and the psychiatrist believed that Lani sold himself short when it came to ethical potential.

Ethics were important to Sean, for a variety of reasons. He believed in ethics as a psychiatrist and as an educator. He believed in ethics as a human being who strove to live a moral life. He believed in ethics as a telepath, and if he had to attribute any aspect of his identity to belief in ethics, it would be his telepathy. It was impossible for him to turn a blind eye to other people’s suffering, which was strengthened due to his telepathic range and insight. Where so many telepaths in popular culture were portrayed as villains, and where so many people expected him to abuse his powers for self-interest, Sean strove instead to help as many people as possible.

His telepathy also allowed him to see the good in most people (although he saw the vilest parts of others).

At the question regarding the trashcan, Sean pointed behind his desk and wheeled his chair out of the way. “Right here.” He didn’t want to be in the path of the dustbin, as he had to wear this suit for the rest of the day.

“I realize that you’re asking about your actions, but I can’t judge you in a vacuum, because you didn’t act in a vacuum. His actions, not yours, are more responsible for this situation.”

[Lani Hunter]

Lani raised his chin not sure if he was being proud or stubborn now, or both, but either way he felt successful getting that response from Dr. Neville. Lani wasn’t looking for someone to make him feel better, he was looking for someone to tell him the truth. Which in his current mind spelled someone who agreed with him. However, the Doctor cleverly navigated around what Lani wanted to hear and turned it back on his boss. Lani felt a strange sense of self. He wanted to defend the man he used to be so close to but he also wanted to agree with Dr. Neville and slander him until his voice was hoarse and his boss’s body was well decayed in his grave. Feeling argumentative Lani decided to challenge Dr. Neville a little more. “I’m nineteen. I’m an adult.” He was also sick of people trying to make him out like a child. The police were doing that and Dr. Neville was doing it.

A sound halfway between a sigh of resignation and a huff of annoyance came from Lani’s nostrils. Lani glared at Dr. Neville, he knew he never should have given the wallet back. It was opening the door to someone seeing through his masks. “There was nothing useful in it anyways.” Lani snipped back weakly. A few days ago he’d be happy to hear that someone thought of him as a good person but now that the thoughts in his mind had turned on such dark things he couldn’t think of himself as such. The Doctor just didn’t understand, Lani told himself, he wanted things to be done right and he wanted them to be done in an ethical way. Lani wasn’t ethical, he’d claw his way through the dark and he’d do what it took. He was entirely selfish. So he told himself, he’d done far too much and see too much to ignore that part of his life.

This had earned Dr. Neville an eye roll and as Lani held the dust pan he wondered how it was that Dr. Neville wasn’t afraid of him taking up the shards and injuring him. Lani looked at the refracted light. He could. He knew he could, Dr. Neville knew he could, and his power knew he could. Somehow Dr. Neville trusted him not to. It made no sense to Lani. Lani didn’t even trust the telepath enough to sit down in his presence just in case that did something to hinder his escape. Lani was a flight risk with a power he could barely control. Maybe that was why Dr. Neville was being so level headed. Perhaps he really was afraid of what Lani might do and was only very skilled at hiding it. Lani frowned a stirring of anger. It wasn’t fair that he could be standing here with his masks well placed and Dr. Neville would never be surprised. While Lani couldn’t see past Dr. Neville’s masks. They were well placed. Where Lani erred was assuming that Dr. Neville had masks at all.

With a hint of hesitation Lani stepped forward and ducked between the desk and the telepath and dumped the dustpan. He shoot it out and with a final tap against the trashcan he deemed it free of glass shards and withdrew as quickly as he had approached. Lani wondered how often people broke things in Dr. Neville’s office? And how many times that was purposeful or accidental. Free of the duty Lani was fully prepared to take his leave. Lani took a moment and shook his head. Everyone had a capacity for great good and great bad. Lani’s chosen the latter. That he was trying to fix it meant nothing unless he could follow through. Lani took a deep breath. He placed the broom back in the closet. Do what you came to do. And get out. He told himself. “Dr. Neville, I just want to thank you for everything. But we both know that the closer the police get to this the more they’re not gonna let me go. Prosecution-ary whats-it or not.” Lani turned to face Dr. Neville his eyes finding the telepath’s. “This is done. I’ll finish this my way.”

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“You’re legally an adult. You weren’t one when you started working for him, and emotional and neurological development aren’t the same as legal age.” This was a topic about which Sean had many opinions, all of which were backed up by adolescent neuroscience, and which were further verified by his personal experience with telepathy. Research showed that the young adult brain didn’t finish developing until around twenty-five, and the last part of the brain to develop was the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe controlled, among other things, the ability to properly assess situations and to make reasoned judgments. The lack of full development was responsible for adolescent thrill-seeking. Additionally, Lani’s boss had decades of experience in extortion and exploitation; it wasn’t as though the telekinetic had come to the table from an equal bargaining position.

That was evident in the fact that Lani couldn’t simply walk away. Even though Sean believed that, morally and as a matter of fairness, he should be able to do so.

“If you say so,” Sean remarked, with a tone that demonstrated how he didn’t believe the boy’s excuse. It had been a billfold, so it wasn’t as though he had lost every form of major identification or had worried about either identity theft of credit card fraud. However, there had been money in there, and, given that Lani had been trying to leave town, cash would have gone a long way. None had been missing when the boy returned his wallet, quite a long time later. That said quite a bit about the telekinetic’s character, irrespective of whether Lani believed him.

Sean remained out of the way while Lani dumped the remnants into the trashcan. He didn’t want shards dumped into his lap or to otherwise cut his legs, and he didn’t want to get in the way of the cleanup effort. Once the telekinetic had deposited the shards and other bits into the trash can, and the dustpan was out of the way of his desk, the psychiatrist rolled his chair back into position. From there, he turned his head back in the direction of Lani, so that they could continue their conversation, preferably without any further interruptions or more physically-manifested emotional outbursts.

Instead, he was treated to a quick sideline of thoughts regarding accidentally (and purposeful) destruction of his personal property in this office – the answer to the question was enough times that the psychiatrist had a set policy of not keeping valuables (monetary or sentimental) in his office at Hammel. Almost immediately afterward, the psychiatrist overheard Lani’s intentions to turn his back and simply leave the office.

Those intentions were not coupled with the resolve to let the District Attorney do what was necessary to slowly take down Lani’s boss through undercover police work and prosecutorial judgment. This was apparent from the boy’s summary and final, ominous announcement.

Sean wasn’t surprised, given the direction of their discussion thus far. However, he wouldn’t let the telekinetic leave without at least one parting word of encouragement. “I can’t make you listen to me.” More to the point, even though Sean had the raw ability to do so, he wouldn’t, as it was a gross violation of personal boundaries and would be to cast aside his personal ethics. “But I want you to be careful, and if something happens, call me or an officer for help.” That wasn’t a personal request.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani raised is chin and he glared sharply at Dr. Neville. Did that just happen? Lani’s whole composure changed from one of indifference to one of fury. How dare he? How dare he say that Lani couldn’t take care of himself. He’d been doing it for years and he’d been taking care of his family. Emotional development. Lani had had enough of this shrink. Bitter and irrationally Lani hoped that the telepath had heard that. “Are you trying to say I’m not mentally able to make these kinds of decisions on my own? Sorry to point this out, but I’ve been doing this a hell of a lot longer than you have. You don’t know me! I can and have taken care of myself. I don’t need your help!” Admittedly part of Lani knew that wasn’t what Dr. Neville had meant, but it was easier to deal with than the truth.

After that innocent snippet Dr. Neville’s skepticism was unrecognized by Lani. Lani didn’t believe he had to be protected. He protected people, not the other way around. Raising his chin in a challenging form Lani made the defiant gesture a definitive answer. He’d like to see Dr. Neville try. The emotional imbalance that plagued the telekinetic was kept carefully in check by his schooled features and focus on the task at hand. Already Lani was feeling the sting of guilt for the words, verbal and non he had thrown at Dr. Neville. The telepath was just trying to help. But was he doing that because he didn’t think Lani could handle it? You came to him for help, Lani reminded himself with a huff.

Well, Lani’d also asked his boss for help. Lani banished that thought away. That was terribly unfair. Dr. Neville was a good person. He’d dealt with Lani’s hissing and biting and hadn’t raised his voice once. Yet he’d somehow pushed Lani to one strong emotion or another, often leaving the telekinetic to raise his voice, or smash a glass ornament to smithereens. Lani narrowed his eyes. If he were made to listen he wasn’t sure what would happen. Would his power react to the invasion of its space? Would Lani even be aware? It was an unsettling feeling and Lani wasn’t sure what else Dr. Neville would find. No. Dr. Neville was farthest down the spectrum from his boss. If his boss were a telepath, well, Lani and the rest of the thieves would most likely be far from sane at the moment.

Lani laughed cockily and opened his arms. “I’m a fucking telekinetic, what could stop me?” Lani gave a smile and opened the door. He paused and opened his mouth to utter another thanks. He wanted to say so many things. Dr. Neville had helped him far more than Lani gave him credit for. He wanted to apologize, seek a way out that didn’t involve all of this waiting or death. But he didn’t say any of those things. He was strong. He was a Hunter. He could stand his own ground. And yet. A wave of terror swept over Lani as the door swung closed behind him.