"Why aren't you wearing your mask, bro?" Talon asked the How- er, Kyle.

"It's okay, Talon," Kyle said. "I trust them."

"The real question is, why are you wearing a mask, Talon?" I said. "You realize you're here so that I can read your mind, right?"

Talon's grin faltered, and he gave a quick nod. He didn't remove his mask, though.

"Alright well come over then!" I said exasperatedly, holding my hands out. He placed his palms in mine, and they were drenched with sweat. Gross.

I rifled through his memories, flying past his awkward tween years and that one time he puked at a birthday party. Huh, he actually likes raisins, I thought after seeing him eat a whole bowlful.

I paused upon seeing him and Kyle playing hide-and-seek in a museum. They must have been 10 years old at the time, and Kyle's voice was at least two octaves higher. The two of them looked as if they would disintegrate when a tour guide started yelling at them.

And now they're saving the city.

Suddenly I felt a pain gripping my temples, and stopped to regain my composure. I saw Talon in similar agony — the memory was so strong that it had pulled me into his pain. He was foaming at the mouth, muttering "Deborah" over and over again.

"Deborah" — his mom's name. This must be when the Mastermind broke him.

I kept watching, and an elder, sophisticated man stepped out of the shadows. His hair was an elegant gray, with the occasional stripe of white, and his skin was naturally wrinkled — he looked like he had lived a long and healthy life.

"Sometimes this is all so tough, isn't it?" the man said, shaking his head slightly.

"Why should you have to save everyone?" the man continued. "When you can't even save your own family?"

Talon writhed on the floor, and the man smiled at his movements.

"They don't understand," the man said. "They can't. You have to show them what your life is."

"Put them through the pain you feel everyday," the man whispered into his ear.

A/N: what do y'all think of the ~Mastermind~?