fractured_agent | Lessons for the team [for slayers

"That is correct. My own mental shields are currently in place," she replied.

"It looks real," Tosh says, impressed.

"This took years of experience with my abilities. In the field, I am able to create psychic images to confuse our enemies."

"But mostly, this is to help you all find your own focus place. A starting point."

"Starting point for what?" Gwen asks, confused. She's still only been on the job for a few months, and while she's getting used to aliens, telepathy is totally beyond her realm of experience. Before yesterday she didn't even know that was a real thing.

"To creating your own shields. You need to start with your own safe place, and use strengths and comforts to balance a good shield." The leaves on the oak tree start to lift off the branches, moving through the air to where April's shields are. The leaves weave together to create a new shield, right in front of them.

"But we're not telepaths," Gwen says, still puzzled.

"You don't have to be," Jack tells her. "You have to have an innate ability to reach out, but as far as keeping people out of your head, any psiblind human can learn to do that. It won't keep out a hundred percent of all attackers, but it'll make it a chore for them to get in."

"It is better for you to have your own control over the controls that you do create. I am strong enough that I could create mental shields in your minds, but they would be under my control. Not yours."

"Perhaps it's best to start with the basics," Ianto suggests. The others need to learn, and he wonders what he'll have to unlearn.

"Okay the first step is to clear and focus your mind." April removes her psychic imaginary, so they will have an easy time doing this in their own minds. "I want you all to imagine your safe place. Where you feel most comfortable."

"Well that's a tall order," Owen grumbles. But he does try to decide where he feels the most comfortable, and settles on the Torchwood autopsy room. There, he's in his element, studying any new lifeform they find and fixing up the team's wounds. In that place, he rules the roost, and he know where everything is.

For Ianto, his safe place is in the tourism information office at the waterfront, the Hub's other disguised entrance. There, he can sit behind the desk and monitor the area in peace, and perform his other duties to his own satisfaction.

Tosh also chooses the Hub, working at her desk with her gadgets and gizmos, finding safety and security in technology. Even the completely unknown can be understood, with enough study, and that is where her strength lies.

Gwen has a tough time settling on one specific image. Normally she'd choose the apartment she shares with her boyfriend, but her affair makes it seem less secure a place to focus on.

"Good, concentrate on those places and concentrate on how they make you who you are..."

April silently projects her voices into Gwen's mind, since she is struggling right now, not wanting to call attention to the struggles. Gwen. Close your eyes and take deep breaths. Visualize yourself as a tree. As you breathe out, push the roots of the tree down deep into the earth. As you breathe in, extend your branches higher and higher into the air, until you are connected to both heaven and earth. Your safe place can be anything in your imagination

Ianto has the easiest time following her instructions, thanks to his previous training. Tosh as well, though she's not as confident about it just yet. Owen has a rough time keeping himself completely on track, wondering what the point of mental pictures are against someone trying to crack into your head.

Gwen bites her lip as she listens to April's directions. Why a tree?

Trees are often the most used image in creating strength and balance in the mind. You can choose something else... as long as it represents your true self

"I want everyone to visualize a sphere of pure energy surrounding you. One that makes you feel cocooned and safe."

Strength and balance... Gwen thinks about it, then settles on goes with the idea of the silver sculpture that stands above the Hub, and continues down beneath, central to Torchwood with greater depths than the average passerby knows.

This next step is one that they all have a bit of difficulty with, trying to imagine what pure energy would even be like. Tosh is the one who excels the most, picturing energy as a force of technology, something she's intimately familiar with and can easily imagine.

Jack's mostly sitting back and observing, piggybacking on April's connection to them so he can see their progress more easily.

"You can definite what how your energy appears, once again this could be something you are familiar with. That you can easily work with."

This is a different technique than Ianto learned originally, so he has to think about it for a few moments before he makes his decision. His form of energy is pure thought, as clean and organized as he is.

Gwen decides to use water as hers, since the silver sculpture also functions as a fountain. Living in Cardiff, next to the sea, water is still a constant and an old symbol for life.

For Owen, he goes with what he knows, and makes his sphere out of life force.

They're quick studies, Jack comments privately to April, a bit proud of his team. They're quick to adapt, and he chose them for those reasons amongst many.

They are very quick to adapt. When this lesson is done, I plan to test their mental shields. Just to see how ready they are...

"As you continue to build your energy sphere, I want you to only think of positive reinforcement. If there are any negative thoughts... it will weaken your control."

"Expand this sphere, make it like a living, breathing shield in your mindscape."

Owen will have the toughest time with that. He's a negative person most of the time, and a skeptic to the core. He's never put any stock in 'supernatural nonsense' like this before, and it's hard to take it seriously even after seeing proof that it exists. "And if we think of enough happy thoughts we can fly?"

"Negative thoughts are easier to get past than positive ones. They have weaknesses. Fear. Guilt. Sorrow. An enemy will use these against you, which is why it is important that your mental shield is free of any negativity."

"This isn't just warm fuzzy feelings we're talking about here," Jack adds, sensing that Owen needs a bit of a kick in the pants, as usual. "You want people to stay out of your head, you'd better do this exercise, because otherwise you're wide open."

"This mental shield has to be the best part of you. The strongest part of you."

Owen sighs and rolls his eyes a bit. "All right, I'll play along."

Jack is rather glad for that, because the last thing they need is Owen's negativity throwing off the others as well.

"This isn't a game. It can protect your sanity."

"Hold onto your shields. Embrace them. Do not let anything interfer with the shield. Concentrate on channeling your energy and your spirit into the shield, making it a part of you."

Ianto has the best grasp of this part, remembering his previous lessons, although keeping the shields up all the time is quite a chore. The others, Owen especially, struggle to grasp the nuances of how to do it besides simply imagining.

Part of Jack wishes he could help them do this, but he knows that this is something you have to learn on your own. Even the Time Agency's training focused on self-discovery of your own limits and abilities, and while others can tell you how to do it, it isn't until you figure it out for yourself that you truly shine.

"This is the hardest part for most people. Some will need to concentrate on enforcing their shield over and over again before it actually keeps in place."

"But you all have the strength and the ability. You can do it..."

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