Chapter 18: Unrestricted

Paro tried to control the turmoil he felt within his heart, the flurry of unrelenting emotions. How could this happen? Of all the people in the world to befall this tragedy, why did it have to be the Harris-kid?

No one spoke, least of all Michael. He wasn’t his normal self. There was no crooked grin to be found on his face, no sly, amused look or overly relaxed posture. He didn’t even wear that ridiculous cowboy hat of his. No, he simply sat with his eyes to the floor, filled with a look of regret.

Someone needed to break the silence, but Paro didn’t want that to be him. They all knew what had to be done, but none wanted the responsibility. Jack Harris was like no other person in the world, and Paro could not bear to think of what needed to come next.

“Someone has to say it,” Kazou said. Paro could sense relief in his team-members that someone had broken the silence. “I like the Harris-kid,” he continued, “but we don’t get to make the rules, none of us do. He has to be sent away. Right now we have a responsibility. This case, these murders, we have to put all of it aside. An Unrestricted takes priority over all other things, and right now there’s one walking free.”

Paro had never seen Michael angry. He had seen him annoyed, frustrated, and agitated, but as a light fixture was torn free from the wall and sent crashing to the floor, Paro didn’t need anything else to go on to know that Michael was pissed.

“How could this have happened?” he shouted. “I thought he was a Telekinetic. He acted like one, and he had the abilities of one—there must be a mistake, Paro! We need to redo the test.”

What Paro said next was borderline treason, but the law be damned. “None of you are supposed to know anything about Unrestricteds, except for the fact that we exist. But I have come to trust all of you with more than just my life, which is something that when I was younger I never would have dreamed possible. Now, you all already know that Psychs are born with an affinity, every last one of us. For most, it’s like our heart—there is just one, and it defines us. But for people like Jack and I, it is like a favored hand. Jack has a natural affinity for Telekinesis, much like a person who is right-handed. But that doesn’t mean he’s limited to it.”

“We can’t do this,” Sarah said. “This is wrong. All of this is just wrong, and you know it.” Sarah did not look Paro in the eyes while she spoke. “Jack Harris is a sweet boy. Think of what his life will be like if we send him away and make him live in one of those awful facilities for the rest of his life.”

“I know, Sarah. Believe me, I know. But you’ve already sent in his blood. There’s no way I can fake it with someone else’s.” Paro’s team shot him a look of surprise, and he knew why. To even suggest doing something so illegal was in itself a crime. A very, very serious crime.

“Damn, Paro, this kid’s not dangerous!” Michael’s voice, though a shout, had a pleading tone. “And even if he could be dangerous, he never will be. I had to beg him just to learn a few simple things. He’s never gonna bother to be destructive or anything else like that. There’s gotta be something we can do.”

Paro stood from his leather chair then walked to the back of the room and turned away from his team. He couldn’t bear to see the look of disgust on their faces—the looks aimed at him.

“I can’t make a case for that, Michael. It’s already been documented that he started the fire in his classroom by accident. Had I known in advance, I might have been able to alter that as well. But the facts are the facts, and the higher ups fear few things more than an Unrestricted that can’t control himself.”

“But that was then, Paro! He’s not like that anymore. We showed him how to—”

“Quiet, Michael. Don’t you think this is hard for me too? Because of this organizations ridiculous rules, we now have to refocus valuable time from stopping a pair of homicidal maniacs to ruining the life of an innocent child.”

Sarah slammed her fists against the glass table, almost shattering it. She too, was showing signs of aggression that Paro had rarely seen from her.

“Then we’ll hide him,” she said. “We’ll put him somewhere safe, some place they’ll never find him.”

Paro smiled. Sarah was such a courageous, caring person. “I can’t believe you just said that, Sarah. If anyone in this room ever reported you, the consequences would be dire.”

“But we’re not like the other teams,” Michael insisted. “I trust everyone in here with my life as well. We’re more than just colleagues.”

Sarah and Kazou nodded. “I don’t mind putting my life on the line if it’s for someone like Jack,” Kazou said.

Paro sighed. What they were attempting was so far on the other side of the law, that if they were ever caught—and they probably would be eventually—more than likely an Op. team would be dispatched with no opportunity for surrender.

Looking around, Paro had never felt so much pride in his life. He was truly honored to have gathered these people. They all had their faults, sure, but in this world, there was no one he cared more about than the people sitting around him.

“You guys,” he said. “Are you sure you understand the risks? If we grab the Harris-kid and we get caught—and believe me, we’ll be the first suspects—are you all willing to pay the price?”

They all nodded without a moment’s hesitation, and for the first time in a tiring life, Paro actually had to resist the urge to weep. “Very well then, we’ll take the Harris-kid somewhere safe. We’ll protect him from what lies ahead.”

“Well said, well said!” shouted a voice from behind Paro. The door to the planning room swung open, and Paro filled with alarm as he swung his head to see who’d entered. His heart almost stopped, his palms began to sweat. Sarah almost fainted, and Michael’s jaw dropped. Kazou remained motionless, but even in his eyes the fear was unmistakable. Did the man standing in the doorframe hear their conversation? If he did, then their only chance would be to try and kill him immediately. It wouldn’t matter, though, Paro realized.

I think I just got my entire team killed.

A tall black man entered the room. There was a smirk on his face and an almost oppressive aura. He didn’t say a word as he closed the door behind him and took a seat, as if he were just another member of the team.

Sarah and Michael remained frozen. Once again, Kazou broke the silence.

“Ge-General Moore,” he whispered.

Paro rarely felt the touch of fear, but when he did, it was a sickening feeling. Sitting before them, with a casual and relaxed smirk, was General Deven Moore, considered the greatest and most powerful Telepath in the known world.

He was a very tall man, muscular, with the tattoo of the General’s insignia embedded on the shoulder over his dark skin. He had the build expected of a Reinforcer like Kazou, yet he was far from it. He had short buzzed hair and a clean-shaven face. Despite his powerful body, a single glance into his eyes revealed a deep, complex intelligence.

“You’re thinking to yourselves, if you all attack me at once, perhaps only half of you will die, yes?”

Paro almost lost it. His heart beat faster as the man somehow managed to gaze at everyone at once while in actuality looking at no one in particular. The feeling of oppression was so powerful that Paro felt weak in his knees despite being seated, and he had the urgent desire to flee.

“I see none of you are making a move against me. I could tell the moment I walked in here that if I attacked a single one of you, you’d all die protecting each other. This is good.”

The man smiled, and all at once, the feeling of oppression was gone. The sensation of impending death was replaced immediately by a purity and brightness so vivid that it was almost too much to contain. For the first time since entering the room, the man allowed his true self to be shown. There was greatness there, a hopeful feeling of inspiration so powerful that the team was almost blown away by it. The man’s smile was genuine—Paro was certain of it. The general had falsely created the feeling of oppression, but now that he allowed it to fade, he was showing his true self.

Paro blinked to ensure his eyes did not deceive him. Here the man was, sitting in their very planning room—one of the Psych Generals, part of the most feared, yet also most respected group of men and women. The highest rank one could obtain as a Psych.

“Are you going to kill us, General Moore?” Paro asked, trying desperately to keep his voice steady.

General Deven Moore stretched his arms and relaxed in the seat he occupied, but his eyes turned hard. He sat up straighter and took a moment to look at each one of them. “No,” he whispered.

He stood up from the chair and paced around the room. “Jack Harris, Unrestricted Psych, age sixteen. He is one of the luckiest boys alive. Why? Because I saw the file first.”

He continued to walk around the room while he spoke. Every time he passed a member of Paro’s team, he would stop momentarily to give one of them an evaluating look, before moving on to the next.

“He needs people like you,” the general said. “If I were any other general, he’d be on his way to one of the facilities as we speak, and you would all be dead.”

Paro tried to form some semblance of understanding, some idea of what was going on. “So you’re not going to send him away?”

“Unrestricteds are not permitted to walk free. That law has been in place since before any of you were even born. It seems foolish, but it is not without purpose. But this Jack Harris, I think he deserves, at the very least, a chance to live a happy life. So, Paro, kindly write up a notice of employment. Jack Harris is to become a member of your team.”

As soon as the last word was spoken, the only sound that could be heard was one large gasp, as all four present members of Paro’s team looked around at each other in awe.

Paro shook his head. “But he hasn’t gone to the camp! How can we sign him up if he hasn’t received any training? All juvenile applicants have to go to the training camp. It’s practically written in stone.”

“So, now you know why I am here.” Moore’s face brightened. “I am a general, and I can do whatever I want. So, here’s the deal—I will sign the forms, and it will be done. Boot camp starts up again in a few weeks, and you fellows just need to make sure he gets there, and I’ll take care of the rest. For now, consider him accepted.”

“Why would you do this for us?” Paro asked. “Why would you do this for Jack?”

General Moore shrugged. “Because everyone in this world deserves a chance, Paro. And make sure you don’t tell anyone I said that, either! Generals are supposed to be impartial. I can’t have anyone think I’m favoring the Investigation department, now can I?”

Paro remained seated in astonishment. Generals were not supposed to take sides in the ongoing feud between Investigations and Operations departments. The Op. teams recruited from the facilities and occasionally willing participants from the training camps. Investigations received most of their members from the camps as well, and on rare occasions elsewhere, but for a general to take the Harris-kid out of their domain and give him a chance at a life—it was a violation of their impartiality.

“We won’t speak a word of this,” Michael said. His face held a look of gratitude that Paro had not seen on him before. It was almost a look of worship. It made sense, though. Michael already considered the kid to be an apprentice of his in some ways.

“I’m going tell you fellows a little secret, something you’re really not supposed to know. When a Psych becomes a general, he or she must swear under oath to forgo all beliefs, feelings, and prior opinions, and work only at improving the overall schematic of our organization. But it never happens this way. We investigators will always be what we were, and so it remains the same for the dogs over in the Op. teams. I’m telling you this so that you can trust me as well. Much like the risk you were willing to take, by me simply saying these words, I put my own life in danger.”

In an instant, Paro understood the man and even came to revere him. So, at one point General Moore was just like them? Paro forgot his place for a moment and reached over to shake the man’s hand. At the last second, he realized what a massive breach of protocol and formality that was. The General seemed oblivious to rules, and grasped Paro’s hand in a firm shake.

“Paro, you’re an Unrestricted as well, so I know you don’t want to see Jack end up as some soulless killing machine. Take care of him, but if there are any problems at all, be sure to report them to me immediately. I’m willing to give the boy a chance, but you alone should know what kind of destructive power someone like him could possess. If anything happens, anything at all, I trust in you to report it to me without hesitation.”

Paro nodded and the man took his leave. He paused at the door and saluted before exiting.

“Well,” Michael said, “I sure hope the kid doesn’t mind waking up early most mornings.”

With Deven Moore gone from the room, a single thought entered Paro’s mind.

Maybe I should have let him just kill us