A Disease of Magic

Everything was…beige.

Nearly worse than sterile hospital white, it was the most boring color I think I’d ever seen. It gave off that feeling when you feel sick but can’t explain how you feel sick, or when you want a snack but nothing sounds good. That general just…blah.

The walls: light beige. The floors: beige carpet. The bedspread: a third shade of beige, though if I stretched my imagination I could pretend it was tan instead. The pillows on the bed and the ones on the couch were at least different, but I now considered white just the palest shade of beige.

All they had to do to get me to cave was keep me in this room, devoid of color, just a little while longer. If anyone besides Leo had tried to talk to me, I would have been more willing to listen.

But that asshole was dead to me now. Whenever he opened the door and started pleading with me to just hear him out, I’d lock myself in the bathroom and turn on the shower to drown him out. So far it had been wildly successful, but the chances of this continuing were slim to none. I was sure, at some point soon, they’d send someone else in.

And I was right.

Five days into my captivity, the door opened and someone else came in. At first, I thought it was still Leo, from the dark hair and fitted suit to the way he walked. But then I realized that this was maybe the one person worse than Leo.

Leo’s father.

Andrew Farley.

Well. This would be interesting.

Leo’s relationship with his father was rocky at best, a disaster at worst, and that hadn’t changed over the time I’d known Leo. Andrew didn’t give a shit about his son, his accomplishments, his dreams, any of it. Leo had managed to carve out a space for himself in Farley Tech, but I’d wondered over the course of our years-long friendship if Leo would have picked a science field at all if it hadn’t been expected of him.

Then again, part of the reason we became friends in the first place was one of our shared experiences; losing a parent to the disease that had transformed both of our lives into something completely unexpected.

Leo had reacted differently to his diagnosis than I had to mine. To him, he didn’t care how much time he might have left on this planet. All he wanted was to make his mark before he left. I, on the other hand, dropped out of college, sacrificing the work I’d put into my own degree. I had managed to leave with a two-year degree instead of a four-year one, and I’d never gone back to finish. My field had also been science, biology leaning towards genetics though overall undecided. I had been hoping to make a difference for people with the same sometimes-lethal disease that had claimed our mothers.

Andrew considered me, and I him. I had to admit, I was surprised and it probably showed on my face. I didn’t think the man himself would make an appearance, let alone walk into the room and make himself comfortable on the couch without even glancing at me.

“Callie.” He said my name like a parent might scold a child, filled with a self-righteousness that immediately put me on edge. Surely he had to realize that keeping me here was kidnapping, and I had done nothing wrong by refusing to talk to the enemy—Leo—especially without a lawyer.

I didn’t say a word. He’d get nothing from me unless he wanted to start sharing what was going on. Was it a good thing that I had the attention of the man in charge? Would he actually give me some answers? Or would it be the same sort of half-truths that I’d been getting all this while.

There was too much free time to think while being obstinate and ignoring Leo whenever he came. It allowed me to mull things over, work on motivations, try to parse what the big picture was. I was too close to see it clearly, but I had some theories. Maybe Andrew would give me enough information to narrow them down, because some were wild and so improbable that they’d honestly make an interesting story if I ever wanted to be an author.

Lucie was in the doorway to the tiny bedroom. I had never confirmed it, but after Leo eventually left, Lucie was always sitting on the couch, making me assume he spent some time with her. Why Lucie decided all of a sudden to tolerate him was beyond me, but that cat was her own creature.

Now, she stood in the doorway, having expected Leo. She was a poofy mess, glaring at Andrew. It made me smile. At least she had good taste about that one.

I crossed my arms and leaned back against the wall behind me next to the kitchenette. Even though there was plenty of space between us, I felt cornered. Maybe because I assumed this was probably his building, meaning any attempts at escape wouldn’t work. My ability to teleport myself was untested, and I didn’t feel confident or desperate enough to make an attempt.

Yet.

“I hear you’ve been ignoring my son,” he said, leaning forward to brace his elbows on his knees and touching his fingertips together. His tone was formal, polite, probably the one he used in a boardroom. “I’ve given him the chance—several chances, in fact—to get your cooperation. For some reason, he has failed. Can you tell me why you ignored all his attempts?”

I frowned in confusion. What was he talking about?

Andrew took note, and added, “Before we had to resort to bringing you here for your own safety, he tried talking to you about Hubert Industries.”

“You mean, how he refused to listen to me and shared his own skewed view of everything?” It blurt out of me unintentionally, and I cursed myself for giving this man anything. But I’d already opened my damn mouth, so I added, “At no point did he tell me they were a danger to me. Did he try telling me not to go? Yes. Did he explain why? No. And I get the feeling that has something to do with you not wanting to give me information.”

“I had hoped that your relationship with him was enough for you to trust his judgment.”

I scoffed. “What are we, in the 1800s? Should I have just allowed him to make my decisions for me?”

Andrew shrugged one nonchalant shoulder. “If you had, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I muttered. Now I knew exactly where Leo got his audacity and misogyny from. I pushed off the wall, intending to grab Lucie and retreat into the tiny bedroom, but Andrew stood and took all of three steps to get in my way. I tensed, adrenaline rushing through my veins by the bucketful.

I did not trust this man. All cylinders were firing, and I was preparing to zap myself over to Lucie and try my damndest to get us both out of here.

The tall man held up his hands in what was probably supposed to be in a reassuring, harmless gesture. But knowing what I did, I couldn’t rule out Andrew being powerless. My bio-screen had been turned off when I woke, so I had no way to know if anyone used an ability around me.

“Please, I did not come here to argue.” Could have fooled me. “Let us talk, and when we’re finished, if you choose, you will be free to go.”

“Wait…really?”

“Leo would have offered you the same, had you simply listened to him the day you arrived.”

The day you arrived. Hilarious, because what he really meant was the day I was fucking kidnapped.

And did I trust him to keep his word? Not really. But did I have another choice? Not really.

“Callie. Please, sit.”

I thought about it for half a second before deciding I would hear him out. If he was being honest, it was the quickest way for me to get out of here and back to my life. Well, after I found a new apartment, because I sure as shit wasn’t going to share with Leo anymore.

Taking the armchair that put my back to the front door, I sat and tucked my legs up to my chest. I looked at Andrew with wary curiosity.

“Thank you. As much as I wish I could give you all the information, right now, we’d be here for days and I also would have no guarantee that you wouldn’t share it with the public. It’s been a source of debate since we started putting the pieces together, and there are still some people who disagree with the path we have chosen to take.”

He paused to gather himself. His eyes looked tired, haunted.

“We know of your ability. Leo’s, too.”

Was I surprised Leo ratted me out? No.

“I first learned of the possibility of these abilities you and my son have developed when my wife died. She…manifested an ability herself, which unfortunately killed her. Ever since, I’ve been searching for answers, developing ways to get more information quickly. And what I’ve learned is astounding.

“Again, I cannot tell you everything. But the bio-screens were developed and manufactured to not only get information, but to also identify those who developed an ability.”

Something clicked in my mind, and I blurted, “So you’re telling me that you knew the entire time that people with LaShoul’s could develop an ability, and you kept it a secret?”

“At first, no. I believed my wife’s death to be because of her disease. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that something wasn’t adding up. So I went digging. It wasn’t until the last decade or so that I figured out the truth. But the more I uncovered, the more questions I had. Eventually, I realized I needed more information.”

“The bio-screens,” I supplied. Andrew nodded once.

“They were the perfect way to get the information we needed. And we got that information very quickly. In part thanks to you and my son.”

“Happy to help,” I responded dryly. “Care to tell me why I was kidnapped?”

“As I said, it was for your own safety. I was not the only one to discover this evolutionary change and start digging. Hubert Industries is also aware of this change. However, I have yet to see any attempt by them to help others.”

“They’ve done studies,” I answered. “I signed up for one.”

Andrew waved a hand dismissively. “Plenty of others have done studies, and no one has been able to identify a cause, let alone develop a cure. Their studies provide them the opportunity to search for others with abilities and recruit them to their cause.”

“Their cause?”

“Undetermined. But from what we’ve been able to uncover, it seems for selfish reasons.”

“How do you know for sure?”

“Again, we don’t know exactly. But this is where you come in.”

Andrew stood up, walking over to the kitchenette and grabbing a bottle of water. He continued to let the suspense build, but I refused to cave. He knew he had my attention; all the questions I was asking was proof enough.

Finally, he said, “I would like to propose a deal with you, Callie. We would like you to work with us. We’d like to study your ability, along with Leo’s and a handful of others, in a lab setting to get more accurate data than what your bio-screen has collected. You would be compensated, of course.”

“Why would I do that?”

“We’d like to develop a way to help others, which I hear is important to you. Leo informed us that telling people that they can develop an ability does not work. He said that people trying to force an ability end up dead more times than not. In addition, we’d like to have you continue to meet with this group tied to Hubert Industries, and report back on what you learn.

“You mean, be a spy.”

“Informant,” he countered, like the word he used would make a difference.

I didn’t like how Andrew was towering over me while I sat, so I stood up and began pacing while my brain worked overtime to figure out what the fuck to do. I think I had more questions now than I did before Andrew walked into the room. Which was frustrating, because I didn’t have enough information to make a decision. So I would have to ask more questions.

“I’m not saying no,” I began, “but you do realize that I have more questions now than when you came in here?”

“If you didn’t, then my faith in you would have been misplaced.”

“Why do you want to know what Hubert is doing? Why would I be your informant?”

“In part, to share any new information you might gather from them with us. I think you’ll agree that we are attempting to help people with the rollout of the bio-screens. They have done nothing similar, have not shared any plans, but continue their studies and interviews. In this field, no one gathers that much information for nothing. There has to be a plan, but they’ve refused to share it. Which is highly suspicious.”

I paused. I couldn’t deny that his reasoning made sense. It planted not a seed of doubt, but a whole plant.

Why did they want so much information? My only theory was to collect people with abilities, evidenced by the Organization itself and Alex’s role. But why, besides helping people feel connected to others like them? Was it to keep tabs on everyone? Make sure the information wasn’t shared?

Or could they be looking for something specific? A particular ability? But why?

Again, the lack of answers and increasing number of questions was infuriating. But now my target also included the Organization. Because I couldn’t believe I had been so blind before. Naive enough to not realize I wasn’t asking the important questions. They offered to train me, and for what? Why did I need training? To prepare for something?

I wanted to scream.

“What’s in it for me, besides paying me? If I’m spending my time playing lab rat for you, spying on them, giving me money won’t be enough. I at least need a new apartment, because I’m not going to live with your son after he facilitated my kidnapping, regardless if the intentions were because I was in ‘danger.’” I put air quotes around the word, though I don’t think Andrew needed me to with the sarcasm I added.

Andrew looked at me, thinking. He came up empty, because he asked, “What else do you want?”

What did I want? There wasn’t much I wanted for myself. The money Andrew would throw at me was sure to be enough. There was a reason why he didn’t have a high turnover of employees; he paid them ridiculously well, even if the man himself was an asshole.

I thought back to what Hubert was—and more importantly, was not—doing for the people.

It clicked then, both ideas popping up in my mind. I took a few more moments to organize the thoughts before telling Andrew.

“It’s not fair that people are dying because they don’t have the information that might save them.”

“You already know why we cannot go announcing it to the general public. Forcing it does no good.”

“That wasn’t my idea,” I answered. It had been, but I knew Andrew wouldn’t agree. I was hoping he might be amiable to my backup idea instead.

“A big problem with LaShoul’s is how quickly the attacks happen to people who haven’t developed abilities,” I began. “Especially for those without loved ones nearby, it can be a death sentence. So, I’ve been working on developing an app to help address that problem. The goal is to have it be a wellness check system, so that help can be called sooner. Loved ones can check in on their person daily, hourly, whatever the main user sets as the interval. And if the primary user doesn’t check in, an alert gets sent out for someone to check on them. But I’m no app developer; I have no idea where to start. And there’s a lot of details I haven’t figured out yet.”

Andrew didn’t need me to ask the question. “You want us to develop this app?”

“Yes. The bio-screen is great at collecting information, but there’s no way to communicate with people to get help. And since not everyone can get the screen right now anyway, this could be a great way to help those people in the meantime. Build better relations with hopeful future users.”

Andrew nodded to himself. The gears were turning, I could see it. He was considering it.

I kept going. “And when people have an attack, end up in the hospital, there should be a way to give them gamma radiation therapy. It might not trigger their ability, but it might, and in a setting where they can be monitored. We wouldn’t need to tell them anything that could put them at risk of forcing it this way.”

It was quiet for so long that I thought Andrew would say no.

“The app is not a bad idea. We can probably figure out how to gather more information for us with it, too. Yes, I think I can spin it that way. But as far as, what did you call it? Gamma radiation therapy? That we cannot do. It would put the people working the hospitals at risk for long-term exposure.”

I hadn’t considered that, and was actually glad that Andrew had.

“Would you like to have a hand in developing this app? Or do you just want it done?”

“I’d like to help. As someone who’s dealt with LaShoul’s, I have a good idea of what the people would need and want.”

“Then I think, Miss Navie, that we have ourselves a deal?”

Andrew held out his hand for a shake. I knew it wasn’t a binding contract, but it felt monumental. Over the course of one conversation, my view on things had shifted enough that I was still wrapping my head around it all.

I took his outstretched hand and asked, “Can I get this all in writing?”

For the first time, Andrew smiled at me. “I’ll have my lawyers draw up a contract. Though you realize you will need to quit your current job at Hubert.”

I had assumed as much. I couldn’t work two full-time jobs. But I would still be a part of the Organization, even if I wasn’t interviewing people anymore. I would just say that I was quitting to work with an app developer on my idea, since Hubert Industries couldn’t—wouldn’t—share information. It wasn’t a lie, technically.

“That’s fine with me,” I answered. “So, when do I get out of here? You guys seriously need an interior decorator here. I think I’m going color-blind.”