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Article 003492 Psychonauts database.
Attn: T. Zanotto: Four of our agents may have run into some trouble while on a routine mission. They were dispatched to investigate reports of strange psychic phenomenon in Willerby. (see Archive 2152; Willerby Hysteria Outbreak)
As of 9:00 early yesterday morning we have lost contact with the group, which consisted of two senior agents; Cecile Barone and Sarah Mince and two junior agents; Razputin Aquato and Katie Blythe. Report to follow.
Follow up on Article 003492
Cecile Barone and Sarah Mince were discovered this morning by Agents 24 and 30 several miles from where they had last checked in. Both had various minor scratches and bruises, but no serious injuries were observed. However, both subjects are mentally unresponsive and acting erratically. Attempts were made to send an astral projection into Agent Barone’s mind, but the attempt was met with strange interference and Agent 24 came out of it with a serious migrane. Several tests were run at headquarters but were inconclusive. Both agents have been transferred to the Lennox Hill Mental facility for closer observation as well as for their own safety. They are showing little to no improvement at this time.
The two young Psychonauts are still missing. There will be a follow up report if there is any further information.
---
This information sat in the records for almost two years before the search was finally called off. After several days under observation, both senior agents had taken a turn for the worse and had, therefore been transferred permanently to a mental facility, where it was certain they would spend the rest of their lives.
Of the two younger agents, only Katie Blythe was found. She was not in any state to be questioned when they did find her…by that time she had been dead for nearly a year. Doctors determined that the cause of death was neurological, although the autopsy of her brain remained inconclusive. The case closed ten months later, and it was assumed that Razputin Aquato…the youngest man ever to make the Psychonauts had met a similar fate.
The events surrounding this occurrence remained unknown. There were some follow up investigations into Willerby, but the outbreaks seemed to have ceased and the source was never discovered. When the case finally closed, the Psychonauts moved onto other things, and hoped, as people tend to do when no answers are found, when no solutions presented, that it would never happen again.
Years passed. During that time the files gathered dust at the back of a large room on the outskirts of the main facility. For years they stayed there, and no one touched them.
Until today.
The tall slender man made his way to the back of the large dingy room. He was dressed mostly in black, aside from a muted beige turtleneck and had a slightly unhealthy complexion, associated with those who spend way too much time indoors doing questionable things with hazardous and unstable materials.
He went to the shelves and pulled out a box and leafed through the various folders until he found one in particular, and after he double-checked the title, because he was just that sort of person, he stowed it in his coat and slid the box back into place.
As he made his way back out of the room, he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it without touching a match.
XXX
A man stood silently, looking through the glass of a tinted window, high above a yard, which might have appeared to an onlooker like a prison yard. It was, in fact a school…which…to many people, isn't much different. The man was Walter Kane. The school was The Kane Learning Center for The Psychically Gifted. Behind Walter stood two boys, estimated, disregarding their height, to be in their late teens.
The boy closest to the man spoke.
"It's Stephen again, he won’t make it up the wall." His stance suggested confidence.
The man turned slightly towards the voice. In the faint light above their heads, his silver hair was illuminated. He was tall and broad shouldered. Despite his ripened age, he carried himself in the manner of someone who was still quite powerful.
"Failure begets consequences," he said softly.
"In this case…" the boy from the other side of the room spoke. "The consequences include a forty-foot fall into the pit we throw all of our garbage into." He flashed a humorless smile at the other boy, whose face was covered, his expression unreadable.
"Well…perhaps this will be an important lesson for him. The strong prevail. The weak have no place here." The man turned back towards the glass, and focused sternly on the yard below, where a boy who was around 13, but small for his age was trying desperately to climb a plastic rope with sweaty hands and was only succeeding even a little because of the fall that awaited him if he did not.
Behind him, the boy nearest moved his fingers slightly, as though they itched and stared at the back of the elder man’s head. Walter seemed to take no notice of this, but he trembled slightly, as though something had crept across his senses.
"He's falling," the other boy said with a sigh. "Nearly made it too. Should I fetch someone to fish him out?"
"No," the old man answered. "Perhaps this way, the lesson will come quicker. Leave him until the rest of the children have finished for the day."
"They won't finish for another three hours," the other boy said, an edge to his voice.
The older man paused, and then turned towards the boy who spoke, to meet his gaze, only to find the boy's eyes were shielded.
"Agent 04…" He said softly…after a long pause. The boy's stance did not change as the older man approached him, a smile of sorts forming on his wrinkled face. "You perhaps have some objection to my training methods?"
"We don’t exactly have a lot of willing pupils…sir." The sir was seemingly added as an afterthought. “He won’t get better at the obstacle course if he’s injured.”
He searched the young man's face for any betraying expression. It held none…neither did his mind…but then, to him the boy's mind was always unnervingly silent.
Walter paused to think for a moment.
“It’s an important lesson. Desperation is an effective teaching method. Next time, perhaps he’ll remember what it was like to fall. Agent 16,” he added while still looking at the boy in front of him. “Tell the instructor that cadet 152 will remain in the pit for the duration of the exercise, then he will come to my office after.”
Agent 16 nodded and hurried towards the door, only pausing to give the other boy a shrug.
XXX
Stephen Brickall was one of the unlucky one's at the academy. It was not…as one may assume, because he was currently in a ditch that had been the dumping ground for all the garbage at the school, some of which was sharp, rusted or made of glass…however unlucky that might be, and at the moment it was the worst thing he could think of. Stephen was unlucky because he was behind most of his class, was made fun of at every available opportunity, was berated by the instructors and, not least, because the foreseeable future promised more of the same.
He found a corner that was relatively free of things that might cause tetanus and stared dismally forward.
Everyone who stepped through the doors of the Kane Learning Center (Or KLC) was forced to leave their names behind, and with it and personal connections, as well as anything they had ever learned about being psychic. Upon arrival the instructors gave them a number based on their ability or status. From then on, their numbers became their names. Stephen was 152.
The school hadn't been open for very long before the kids themselves found that, though it worked fine for the elite agents they had an annoyingly difficult time remembering each other's numbers. That was when the nicknames started. And thus it became tradition; a number was given by the teachers, a nickname from the students…and depending on whom one spoke to, that name and number was who you were.
Stephen's nickname was Worm. It was given to him so that whenever anyone called on him or spoke to him, he would constantly be reminded that he meant nothing. Nicknames, even in the real world are terrible…if they're bad ones. But in the academy they were worse because after a while, that’s all there was.
Training occurred on most days. The obstacle course was one of many training methods used at the KLC and involved challenges both physical and mental. If observed, one might wonder how such a course was approved, given the use of unsafe materials and the rusty structure. Safety, apparently was not a priority at the academy.
It generally took several hours for all of the students to get through the obstacle course. Sometime after his fall, as the light changed overhead Stephen began hearing the voices of his peers. He felt his heart sink.
"Hey Worm, how’s it feel being with the rest of the garbage?" That was The Nose, who was laughing in a series of abhorrent snorts. A couple of the other kids snickered, even if it wasn’t all that clever of a line.
"Hehe, good one, Nose. Looks like failing is his specialty" Came the voice of Shorty, who nearly fell in himself as he leaned over the gap to taunt the younger boy.
Beyond the sniggering crowd two of the instructors were shoving their way towards the opening.
"Out of my vay you filthy children." Came a thick accent, so exaggerated that it sounded like it was fabricated. This was General Drake Cadmus, known to the children as Dragon due to the bizarre serration of his teeth and his penchant for pyrokinesis. Which meant, in psychic terms, that he had what some might consider an unhealthy appreciation of things being on fire.
"Get avay from thee hole or I will push you een." He said harshly as he shoved The Nose out of the way. Beside him another instructor gave a nearby child a cold look. This was Andrea Chilli, or Hag, who, although still very much in her youth, had the expression and stature of a woman in her sixties.
"Are you down there, Cadet 152?"
"Yes," came a weak and bitter voice from the pit.
"Vee have been sent to rescue you." Drake said with a hint of malice. "I vill trow down thee rope…grab hold…and try not to slip theez time." A couple of the kids sniggered as Drake threw a rope down into the dark.
Stephen grabbed ahold of the rope and began climbing, his face turning red with embarrassment. When he reached the opening, he met the sneering faces of his peers. He thought it best to keep his gaze on the ground.
"Cadet 152. Agent Kane wishes to see you in hees office," Drake said with a sniff. The boy's clothes were ripped and dirty.
Stephen nodded solemnly and made his way through the crowd, all the while keeping his eyes on the ground. He got a few "accidental" knocks in the stomach but managed to miss the outstretched feet.
When he reached the front door after what seemed like an eternity, he heard the instructors screaming orders at the students from behind him. Now that the obstacle course was finished, it was mealtime. Because of his visit to Walter’s office, he would be late, but in truth he generally was. He purposefully avoided going to the cafeteria when it was busy. This generally meant most of the good food was gone by the time he got there, but it also meant he was able to avoid being around…well the other students.
That was a thought for later, however. The fact that that he was not in the ditch was a relief…but he wished that he could at least change his clothes before facing Walter.
The door was as tall as any other door but felt so much larger to the small thirteen-year-old as he pushed his way into the shadows of Walter Kane’s office. The only light came from a large murky window where Walter stood silhouetted in the faint glow.
Beside him stood Agent 04. When Stephen saw him, his heart sank. Though he was one of the younger boys, only sixteen or seventeen years old, he was known and feared throughout the academy. There were a whole slew of strange rumors surrounding the boy that ranged from farfetched to admittedly impossible.
The older kids called him Tank, the younger one's made fun of him for it, though not within earshot. This was not because it was a bad name…but because when looking at him, a tank was not what came to mind. He was quite tall, as tall as Walter himself…and possibly still growing, but he had no visible muscle or fat on his body. He almost exclusively wore the uniform senior Cerebral Soldier’s wore, often wearing a coat and gloves with it and his face was always covered. Only his mouth was ever visible, and it generally wore a frown.
Stephen tried not to look at the older boy at all, but despite the eyepiece Tank always wore, which completely obscured most of his upper face, he could feel his gaze on him.
Walter seemed to grow suddenly aware of Stephen's presence.
"Cadet 152. Good, glad you're here." He turned and took in the shape of Stephen's clothes with little amusement. "I…watched your display on the course today…very…interesting."
Stephen looked at the floor, he was good at it…and mumbled something. He could feel it starting to happen, he slipped into the ability so easily, without even noticing half of the time. He resisted now.
"What was that?" Walter said, while motioning to the other boy to draw the curtains.
"I'll do better next time." Stephen whispered again. Walter smiled.
"You say this, yet it’s been two months and you haven't seemed to improve at all."
There was a moment of agonizing silence, during which he had to concentrate hard. If he didn’t, it happened almost automatically. A lot of psychics had specialties…things that came naturally to them. Stephen didn’t consider himself to be good at much, but one thing he was very very good at was being invisible…perhaps because he’d had so much practice without incorporating it literally. After what felt like an eternity, Walter finally broke the silence.
"Look at me boy,” the man commanded. Stephen jumped and forced his gaze upwards. “Your performance has been disappointing ever since your arrival…look at me!" He said again, when Stephens gaze began to shift downward again. "And by god, if you go invisible, I will throw you back into that pit for the rest of the night.'"
Stephen caught movement on the side of his vision. For a moment his eyes shifted to Tank, who was simply adjusting his hood.
Stephen swallowed as Walter turned back towards the window.
"I will give you one more chance, 152. In two days, if you can't climb that rope without falling, you will be removed from this facility. Is that understood?"
Stephen licked his lips and nodded.
"Good. You are dismissed,” With that, Walter left the room himself with a confident stride.
That left Stephen and Tank alone in the room. Stephen fidgeted slightly as he debated whether it was a good idea to turn his back on the boy or not. He didn't have to.
Tank stepped forwards towards the door, pausing, much to Stephen's horror, at the boy's side. He raised one hand, causing Stephen to flinch out of habit.
"Next time try gloves. They slip less." He said, wiggling his own gloved fingers. He stepped out of the room without another word.
XXX
Sasha Nein descended the staircase into his laboratory with a tan folder tucked under his arm. Various machines clicked and whirred, on all sides and in every corner, cardboard boxes were stacked up and scattered about, clashing with Sasha's usually clean visage.
Sasha's cigarette put itself out in an ashtray as headed towards a large stump in the corner of the room, which looked very much out of place with the machinery and equipment. He tucked the folder into his coat and jumped into the darkness of the remains of what, at one point had been a tree.
Somewhere, deep in the core of Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp, beyond tunnels which all lead to various stumps scattered throughout the grounds stood a large opening clad with various mechanisms hinting at the workings of the outside world.
In the center, an old man stood, watching the news on a tv screen floating just above his head. He didn't turn when he heard someone being cast out of the stump and landing on their feet with a click of two modest but well-polished dress shoes.
"Starting to think something held you up." Ford Cruller said to the younger man as he approached.
"You know things have been…hectic. This was the soonest I could come. Mind telling me why we’re meeting at the camp?" Came the ever calm and even-toned voice of Sasha Nein.
Ford turned and fixed Sasha with a serious look.
"Quieter here. Wanted some privacy."
“Green Needle Gulch isn’t private enough?” Sasha replied.
Ford spent most of his time in Green Needle Gulch…really many of the members of the original Psychic 7 did. Ford himself had retired after a brief stint back at headquarters, but…the Psychonauts just weren’t the way they had been when he was in charge…it had been difficult to adjust. He still went to the Motherlode from time to time, mainly for the bacon special.
Some of his friends had retired as well…choosing instead to make up for lost time or do their own quiet personal work. Most were welcome back at headquarters, but chose the quiet recesses of the forest. Only Otto seemed to be perfectly at home with the ever changing psychic world.
"I heard some of the older interns are having their initiation moved to a sooner date?" Ford said, ignoring the question.
"Yes. Though, for the most part it's only the more experienced students. While we're on the subject, I'm pretty sure Ms. Zanotto's is tonight…if you think there's any possible way you can make it."
"Hmm…I…might pop in. May not have the time. I’m a little surprised she decided to follow through with the Psychonauts… after…you know."
Sasha nodded with a frown.
"I think she's doing it mainly for Truman. She didn't seem terribly excited the last time I saw her."
There was a long silence between Sasha and Ford, in which both seemed to be thinking about something. After a few moments Ford nodded towards the files under Sasha's arm.
"I see you got them. Mind if I…take a look?" Sasha handed the files over to the older agent, who flipped through them to inspect what was inside.
"Do you think you could make up an excuse so I can keep these for a few days?"
"I'm sure I can come up with something…but…Ford I don’t understand why you didn’t just ask for them yourself…I’m sure that…" Sasha started.
"Best not to upset things." Ford interrupted. He set the files down on one of the floating metal seats and then turned back to the younger agent.
"I’ve been seeing more reports on disappearances in the area.” Sasha nodded grimly.
“Not much information except that most of them were between the ages of 12 and 19, a trend of unhappy home lives, peer isolation and the few I could look into were reported to have…strange abilities.”
"I hear the Psychonauts think that this might be the work of someone who used to be associated with us…again…I’m starting to think maybe we ought to…I don’t know…give everyone cat scans more often…”
Sasha frowned and his face darkened a little
"I don’t suppose you remember Walter Kane?"
"I was...out of sorts when he was around. I've looked into him though, since the reports started. He worked with you for a bit, didn’t he?” "
"Yes…well…that was a long time ago,” Sasha said with a sigh. “I thought he was a mental facility, but apparently he got out. Now he's off in some secret location gathering young psychics. We don’t know why,” Sasha said.
Looking frustrated, he removed something from his coat and handed it to Ford. It was a card, large, black and shiny, he flipped it around in his fingers. It had a logo on one side with a brain inside a skull.
“Hmm, flashy.”
“We got it from one of our students. Apparently, he was approached by another young man, who attempted to recruit him. Unfortunately, he failed to bring it to our attention until after he’d had the card for nearly a week. We think these ‘recruits’ are meant to use clairvoyance on the card, but whatever it used to reveal…well it’s not active now. After some prying, the young man admitted that the boy who approached him was Benny Fideleo. The group is called the Cerebral Soldiers and Walter is recruiting these children to train them apparently.”
"Training kids? For what?"
"We're not sure," Sasha said with some frustration. "We've gotten a positive ID on a few other of these recruits, mostly from angry or concerned parents. We know some of them had some previous training with us…we just don't know who they are yet."
"Benny Fideleo used to go to camp, didn't he?"
"Yes, it was Bobby Zilch who gave us the card…eventually.”
"Hmm…how many kids do the Psychonauts think Walter has now?"
"Hollis thinks it's still a small number…for now. It's likely their training will not be as advanced as ours…and their members will most likely be much younger…but this is still very concerning.” Sasha glanced briefly at his watch and frowned. "I apologize, Ford. I have to go. I have to be at the initiation ceremony in twenty minutes."
Ford nodded.
"Go on then, I’m going to stick around here for a little longer."
Sasha nodded and headed off quickly towards his lab.
XXX
Several people had gathered for the initiation in one of the classrooms at Psychonauts Headquarters. Various senior agents were sitting in seats generally meant for students, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
In a connecting room, a small group of nervous interns were working feverishly to look as calm, collected and experienced as they possibly could with the exception of a girl who was sitting in the corner with her arms crossed.
Lili Zanotto didn't have much in common with the people around her. For one thing, she was a lot more talented than they were. For another, her father was Truman Zanotto, head of the Psychonauts, which meant that however talented she was, she would always be seen as a Zanotto. This basically meant that everyone knew she got special treatment…even though she didn't. Admittedly, she had never officially been an intern…she had always been in a weird in between space. She’d basically grown up in Psychonauts HQ…which meant she’d been receiving some level of training since before she could even walk. Besides, since her father was in charge, having a mentor didn’t ever make much sense. Admittedly she scared a lot of adults in the Motherlode, so perhaps this was also slightly the reason.
And finally, what set her apart most of all and most visibly was the fact that she couldn't have cared less about her initiation. Her only joy came from the knowledge that she would not have to hear about it anymore and could be done with the training and various activities her father bade her to participate in.
Lili’s thoughts were interrupted as someone approached her. It probably said something about his overall pride at her initiation that her father was in official uniform. He tended towards wearing more comfortable clothing generally. Well…when it came to it, none of the senior agents bothered much with the official uniform, but her father could frequently be seen in his office with fuzzy slippers on.
"Hey dad." She said wearily.
"We’re giving out the badges soon." He seemed to look her over. After a moment he frowned. "Where's your uniform?"
Lili's expression didn't change as she grabbed a plastic bag with a brand-new suit still wrapped up inside.
“Since when do we even have initiations? Can’t we just have the badges and be done with it?” She asked.
"I know it’s a little silly, but Hollis thought it would…help morale. And there’ll be an afterparty,” he said, admittedly looking a tad uncertain.
“Hollis…planned a party. Great…I’m sure that’ll be a lot of fun,” Lili rolled her eyes and began taking the uniform out of the wrapping.
“Just try to enjoy it,” her father replied. “I’m proud of you, Lili,” he added after a moment.
“Yeah…thanks dad,” she replied with a sigh.
XXX
Milla Vodello preferred to be clad in more than one solid color, which is why she had never even touched the official Psychonauts uniform. She was currently sticking out quite noticeably in a bright dress and rather fashionable heels, both of which together held nearly every color in the rainbow. Her hair, long and perfectly styled was tied up in a magnificent bun, lined quite prettily with flowers. It was for this reason that her plan to be, at least for the moment, as scarce as she could was failing miserably.
Finally, just as she worried the event would have to be delayed; she spotted her colleague as he slipped in through the door and quietly made his way towards her. Together they looked quite incongruous, for he nearly cancelled out her color with his many muted hues.
"Sasha, darling, you're late." She whispered as he reached the stage. "Where have you been?"
"I was with Ford,” Sasha said as he straightened his jacket. She raised her brow, but didn’t inquire. If it was important, he’d fill her in later.
“You’re cutting it close darling,” Milla said.
The Psychonauts didn’t have an official stage, nor an official ceremony for becoming a full-fledged agent. Over the years, they had become more structured and organized, but Truman had never been much for ceremony and Hollis was, for the most part strictly business. Still, ceremony could do wonders for an organization, especially during a time of duress. The Psychonauts were, technically a government agency…but their area of expertise could be classified as niche. Because of this, they occasionally went through stretches of time where they didn’t have much to do.
That said, while both Hollis and Truman recognized the merit it ceremony, neither had particularly wanted to conduct it.
Milla walked to the center of the small stage, generally reserved for lectures and occasionally meetings. Sasha followed behind. In the audience senior agents as well as other members of the staff were gazing onward in expectation and in many cases, boredom.
Milla smiled.
"Fellow Psychonauts and honored staff." She started. "We have gathered this evening to celebrate the graduation of six young men and women, and to welcome them warmly into our ranks, as we recognize their superior talent and commitment. I will now hand this over to my fabulous partner and he will read off their names. You’re up darling." Milla said as she stepped slightly off to the side. Sasha cleared his throat and peered critically down at the short list of names. Sasha too, had not particularly wished to conduct the ceremony, but Milla had volunteered them both. He started right in, not one to dwell too much on ritual.
"Franke Athens and Kitty Bubai are welcomed into the Motherlode and will be taking up positions in intel and documentation." He paused and waited as the teenagers received their badge, looking both elated, and slightly disappointed at having to take a rank mostly having to do with paperwork.
" Chloe Barge and Damien Rice have been admitted to the second rank and will be taking up positions in minor Psychic related incidents and in some, rare occasions, more serious emergencies." Sasha paused again and looked up at his partner, who looked slightly troubled as she handed the young adults their badges. They met each other’s gaze for a moment, and managed to hear a whisper of her thoughts.
They're all too young.
He frowned and looked back down at the paper. Only two names remained.
"Lastly; Antony Brick, a former junior agent will be admitted to full Psychonauts status and our own Lili Zanotto…will be joining him there as well." He smiled lightly as the last two people mentioned crossed the platform. Antony shook Milla's hand and raised an enthusiastic wave to the muted crowd as he stepped off the stage and joined the other former interns.
When Lili reached the two, Milla hugged her tightly.
"Here you are, darling." She said as she pressed the tiny badge into Lili's hands. "We're so proud of you." Lili gave her a halfhearted smile and left the stage, ignoring the small crowd as she did.
"These young psychics have been given a great honor." Milla said.
"We know they will make us proud." There was some halfhearted clapping, and the ceremony…such as it were, was over.
XXX
Forty minutes after, Lili stood outside the cafeteria, which was currently echoing with a murmuring of people, as they partied as only those who saw each other every day at work could…awkwardly.
She clutched the badge in her right hand…for the last ten minutes or so she’d been staring at it and thinking about what a silly thing it was. Psychonauts never actually wore the badge they were presented when they became an official agent. It was more a trophy…a keepsake.
She tucked it away with a sigh and sat down on a bright orange chair at one of the tables near a large circular window. Outside the night grew dark as a large cloud covered the moon. Scattered on the surface of the table were a number of newspapers, mostly turned to articles involving the recent disappearances.
Lili thumbed at one absently, not really paying much attention to the content.
"I had wondered where you went off to." Lili looked up as Milla crossed the room and sat in a chair opposite from her. "They kill the party, don't they darling, with their classical music and dull conversation." She smiled.
“That’s what you get for letting Hollis pick the music.”
There was a moment of silence after this in which Milla observed the girl quietly.
"You know when I look at you and the others it's so hard for me to forget that you aren't the children I once knew from summer camp. I don't know why…you're so grown-up darling." It was true. They all had grown up so much in the last five or six years. Lili herself was sixteen years old and still, no matter how she looked at her, she saw pigtails instead of the shoulder length claret locks and a colorful vest and skirt, in place of the green fitted uniform, and knee length tights.
Lili took her badge out again and played with it absently.
"I don't feel very grown up." She said bitterly.
"Well…I can see how being admitted at such a young age would make you a little nervous but…" Lili was shaking her head.
"It wouldn't have made much difference, being a Psychonaut tonight…or in another couple of years."
"Oh, but darling it's an honor. You should be proud of yourself. Sixteen is a very impressive age to be a full-fledged agent." Lili shrugged.
"It's not that impressive…I mean...when you know...he got in...he was way younger." Lili rested her chin in her hand and stared out the window again.
Ah…so that’s it…
"We all miss him, Lili, but on your big night, I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted you sitting in a dark room all by yourself. It isn't good for you to let something like this control your life. Believe me, I know. You're still young, try to have fun while you can. Now come on, darling, how about we go in there and liven things up a bit, what do you say?"
"I guess I'll have to face my dad some time." She said as she stood. "But I doubt even you could liven up an office party." Milla smiled.
"It's worth a try, darling."
XXX