Devolution, a Spencer Reid/Criminal Minds Fanfic

Chapter 34. Three Questions

The doctor paused to top off his cup of coffee, surveying his audience as he did so.

They were appropriately quiet, absorbing the story he hadn’t told for so long, he was surprised he remembered it in such detail. Once he’d begun and committed himself to the telling, it had been as though he were separated from the reality by days, rather than centuries. He allowed himself to take readings on the three sitting before him.

The empath’s and the telepath’s reactions were running along predictable lines. One was letting herself get mired in the emotional fallout; the horror, the loss, the sorrow and pain. The other was applying intellect, bolstering his relatively new talents by running those he’d been using all his life alongside them. He was analyzing the tale and fleshing it out with statistics and data that were part of the tremendous store of mostly-dormant knowledge residing within his extraordinary memory.

The priest was older than the other two. He wasn’t caught up in sympathizing. He was reviewing scenes from his own life and wondering how they would have played out if he’d been able to help and heal along the lines the doctor had.

As painful as he knows my experience was, he wishes to be able to do the same. He puts service to others ahead of his own welfare.

The doctor did a quick, private mental check on his patients, particularly the one who required shielding. Satisfied that they weren’t in need of his immediate attention, he resumed his seat, freshened coffee steaming.

“Telepath, your turn. What would you like to ask me?”

Reid stored away the calculations and comparisons he’d been running, perfectly preserved so he could pick them up at a later time without missing a beat. He found himself in a quandary similar to Ana’s. With so many, which question was most pressing, most deserving of an answer? He realized that, although knowing the past was enlightening and fascinating, he was more concerned with the present and his own newly-discovered talents. He wanted to know more about his place in this strange subset of humanity.

“Since cutting off contact with Hotch, I’m seeing…auras, I guess. But only around some people and places. I thought I’d gone blind, but when my sight returned, it was different. Why?”

The doctor smiled. Typical of a young man. The woman was curious about things beyond her…beyond her time and experience. The male puts himself at the center of his world. These two mesh well. One looks outward, one looks inward. But…that could be because this young man has been lonely, forced to rely on his own company for most of his life.

Before speaking, the old man rose, came around his desk and stood in front of Reid, looking down at him. Reid remained seated, looking up, eyes questioning. The doctor held up one hand.

“May I?”

Reid wasn’t sure what he was giving permission for when he nodded. But he closed his eyes without reservation when gentle fingers touched their lids, bowing his head slightly. After a silent moment, Reid felt the man’s touch move beneath his chin, raising his head. He opened his eyes to the doctor’s smile. “Your new vision reveals those with talents, whether realized or incipient.” He walked back around his desk and lowered himself into his chair before continuing.

“People, especially people like us, leave residual psychic energy throughout their lives. For some, it marks traumatic events. For others, it’s a slow release that occurs over the span of years. The auras you see around places is your perception of that energy. When you see this building from outside, does it strike you as a sort of hotspot when it comes to auras?”