Black and Blue

by Nancy O'Toole Meservier

  “It’s probably because he’s so close to her,” I heard Riley’s voice say.

  I paused and backed up a step. Unlike Calypso’s side, the door to other half of the interrogation room was wide open. Inside, Riley sat on a folding chair, an arm wrapped around his middle, his face pale. I stepped inside, glancing at Calypso’s window as I did, only to find that someone had turned the lights off, shielding her from view.

  “I can tell from your expression that you don’t remember breaking two of my ribs,” he said, his voice pained.

  “Three,” Alex supplied.

  “Huh,” Riley replied. “You ever think about becoming an EMT?”

  “Riley.” Jane pushed inside. “You should be at the hospital!”

  “Probably true,” he said. “Do you think you’re up for backing the van up to the loading dock? I can take the elevator down.”

  “Sure,” Jane replied, “I’ll go do that now.”

  And with that, she dumped the cannon by the door and left the room. Riley turned to Alex.

  “How did she do? I noticed…” He gestured up to his face.

  “Well, still concussed,” Alex replied. “But other than that, she was great.”

  “Don’t act so surprised,” Riley said. “She’s young and could be better at keeping secrets, but one of the benefits of taking everything very seriously is she knows how important it is to keep her head in a fight. Give her time to grow up and she’ll be a damn good field agent.”

  Only, was that what she wanted? I thought about the conversation we had had hours ago, about how she missed her life as an archivist.

  But it wasn’t time to talk about that.

  “You were never going to tell us about Marty, were you?” I asked, playing with the edges of my scarf.

  There was a noticeable silence before Riley replied. “No.”

  Alex swore behind me.

  “Did Jane know too?” I asked.

  “When I opened the door to Marty’s room, she didn’t look all that surprised to me,” Alex replied, a noticeable edge in his voice.

  “Don’t judge her too harshly for it,” Riley said, then paused to lick his dry lips. “One of the things you need to understand about Forgers is the best word to describe us is—”

  “Aggravating,” Alex spat. “Liars—”

  “Insular,” Riley finished. “We grow up in these tiny communities where everyone is a Forger. Shopkeepers, town employees, teachers, everyone.”

  I frowned at the word “community.” Hadn’t Amity used that word in Calypso’s memory? Talked about sending “breeding stock” to a new community?

  “You can’t keep everyone out,” Alex said.

  “You can if you own all the land. Only sell to other Forgers. Only rent to other Forgers. And when that land is in remote areas…” Riley shook his head. “The most a girl Jane’s age has seen of outsiders are people who wander in by mistake. Jane hasn’t had enough contact with outsiders to view people like Marty with any level of complexity. I’ve been in the field for a lot longer. I should have considered the consequences, and Marty’s medical needs, more seriously.”

  He paused, trying to straighten himself up, then let out a hiss of pain.

  “Probably should consider my medical needs more seriously too.”

  “You’ve broken bones before,” Alex remarked.

  “Damn, that powerset of yours is useful.” Riley chuckled then winced. “Oof. Yes, I have. Spending time with y’all when you’re not Empowered comes with its own set of consequences.”

  I frowned.

  “Something wrong, Dawn?” Alex asked.

  “I was just thinking about Edison Kent, weirdly enough,” I said. “He said something like what Riley just said, in his speech. And it got me thinking. With everything that’s happened over the last week…what have we actually accomplished? The drones are still sick. Calypso is…um, still up here.” I tapped the side of my head. “It’s a lot quieter but I can still feel her bouncing around. We’re right back where we started.”

  “Actually, we’re not.”

  I jumped at Dana’s voice. He had been so quiet since the car ride. Before he could continue, he was cut off by the sound of the door unlocking.

  “Jane’s back already? That was too fast.” Alex looked to the door.

  Riley responded with a frown. And it took me second before I realized why. There were two sets of feet coming down the hallway.

  And one was wearing heels.

  Jane was the first to enter the room. The serious girl swallowed before speaking. “Um…I found someone.”

  In response, Amity Graves stepped into the room, dressed in a pantsuit that matched her bright-blue eyes. Her dark hair was no longer its asymmetrical bob, but a blunt cut. I felt something click in my mind. The dark hair, those blue eyes. The girls that Calypso had fallen for in her memoires, they all looked like Amity.

  “Oh, how lovely,” she said, her lips spreading into a wide grin. “My two favorite Actuals together with the Forgers. How are you, Riley dear? And your mother? She still stomping on the freedoms of everyone that stands in her way?”

  “It’s funny,” Riley said with a lazy smile. “You talking down to me like this, when I’m not that much younger than you.”

  “Maybe it’s just the joy of seeing the Forgers’s golden boy brought so low. The son of our fearless leader, injured and powerless.”

  There was something about the way she spat out the last word that made me suspect it was a jab at his lack of powers.

  Wait, fearless leader?

  “Yet you did come to see me,” Riley replied. “After eight years away. Must be awfully important.”

  Alex let out a groan.

  “It’s because of me,” he said. “She came to my house. I must have brushed up against her without thinking about it. You’d think I’d know better by now to keep my distance.”

  “So, you know Calypso is here?” I asked, voice soft. “That’s why you’re here isn’t it? Because Calypso is here?”

  Amity rolled her eyes. “Listen, I know that you think you have Calypso, but given that this big lug seems to barely understand how or why—”

  Before she could finish her sentence, I took a step forward and grabbed her bare hand. I could see the moment the memories hit her, both Calypso’s and mine. The way her eyes widened and then softened in a way that made her look vulnerable, like when I had last seen her on that rooftop, eyes red-rimmed with tears over the loss of Callie Saunders.

  “Where is she?” Amity asked.

  “Jane,” Riley said.

  The younger Forger nodded in reply and stepped toward the nearby wall, where a light switch lay. She turned it on, illuminating the space. Calypso, who had been lying on the cot, sat up in surprise. Even though she still looked like me, Amity’s breath hitched in her throat.

  “She looks terrified,” she muttered.

  The twist in my gut confirmed it, the connection between the two of us made Calypso’s emotions far too clear. The memory of her fall at the Grand Bailey filled my mind, the snap that I had assumed had ended her life.

  “If only I had stopped her from falling,” I mumbled.

  “If only you had,” Amity said, reaching out to touch the glass. “If only I hadn’t put the idea of revenge in her innocent little head. If only I had made better decisions when I found her in that hospital. If only I had made it to that first transference before any damage had been done. And if only I had wiped her mind like they told me to back when we were children, kept her out of our world. But of course, I went for the selfish choice.”

  I could only imagine how strange those words sounded to someone who didn’t have access to Calypso’s memories. But for me…her meaning was clear.

  Callie and Amity sat in that same playground, weeks after their first meeting. A stack of paperback books next to Amity lay forgotten as she hugged her knees to her chest.

  “They’re all afraid of me, you know,” she said. “Even Dad. All they see
are my stupid powers. My stupid, useful powers.”

  Callie reached out and placed a hand on top of Amity’s. For a second, the older girl didn’t move, then she shifted her own hand until it was grasping Callie’s.

  I blinked, staring down at my own right hand.

  “Now she’s even more broken than before,” Amity said, dropping her hand from the glass.

  “But what if she didn’t have to be?”

  We all jumped slightly as Dana spoke. Every head in the room turned to him.

  “I know it sounds crazy but since someone dumped a lifetime’s worth of terrifying memories into my brain.” He shot Amity a reproachful look. “I’ve learned a lot about my abilities. And being able to transfer powers from one person to another is the least of them, which is something that power-hungry douchebag-me couldn’t understand.”

  “What are you saying?” I asked.

  “When people are Empowered, I can sense it. It’s faint in most people, but you and Alex are lit up like those elaborate Christmas displays they’re starting to put up east of the river. And it goes beyond that. I can also see the imprints that people’s powers leave behind. Like, when you made that hole in the floor back at Kent’s place.” Dana nodded toward Alex. “I could see the lines on the floor, even from outside. I can also see the connection between Dawn and Calypso, and the connection between Calypso and every single one of her drones.”

  “But when Calypso almost died she was cut off from all of her drones,” Alex said. “Their withdrawal symptoms prove it.”

  “Then maybe she never really let anyone go. I don’t know!” Dana threw up his hands. “All I’m saying is that I might be able to fix it. All of it. Both transferences. Cut off Calypso’s ties to her drones. Reverse the effects.” He made eye contact with Amity. “All of them.”

  “You mean she wouldn’t—” Amity said.

  “Be fit for the looney bin? I don’t think so. She’ll probably have PTSD or whatever from everything that’s happened since then, but as for the initial damage…I think it’s worth trying out.”

  “Let me stop you there,” Riley said, shifting slightly.

  Dana frowned. “Dude. You’re kind of ruining my big heroic moment.”

  “Which is admirable,” Riley said. “But Amity wouldn’t do something for you for free, so you shouldn’t either. Amity.” He turned his attention back toward the Empowered woman, whose hopeful expression had transformed into a glare. “Since I’m not in any kind of shape to take you back by force—”

  “Like you could,” Amity spat out.

  “I’m going to stick with strong-arming you. In return for fixing Calypso, I’m going to need you to wipe a few minds, like Marty Tong’s.”

  “Hey! I don’t appreciate being used as a bargaining chip here!” Dana raised his voice. “You don’t speak for me.”

  In response, Riley tipped his head until he was looking at Jane, who now stood behind Dana, her cannon, humming with electricity, pointed at the small of his back.

  “It’s fine. Don’t be so dramatic.” Amity rolled her eyes. “I was meaning to get to Marty anyway.”

  “On top of that,” Riley continued, “I need you to wipe Calypso’s mind.”

  Amity started in shock, and then her eyes narrowed into slits.

  “Don’t look at me that way,” he said. “We’re dealing with a woman who wanted to raise an army of brainwashed drones against us. It’s understandably in the Forgers’s best interest to not have her on our tail anymore.”

  “But that’s…decades of memories!” I said.

  “She’s done it before.” Riley nodded to Dana.

  “Do I look like a success story?” Dana quipped.

  “It’s not like she’d even have to erase as much. Just every encounter she’s ever had with the Forgers, every memory of her time with powers. Hell, just extend the time she spent in the asylum to present day. I’m sure you’ll think of something. After all, you said it yourself. If you would have wiped all those memories of us years ago, then Calypso would have lived a much happier life. Give her that happier life.”

  I glanced around the room, at Jane, looking slightly green, her cannon still pointed at Dana’s back. At Dana, who looked ready to explode with frustration. Even Alex, who hated Amity, frowned in displeasure.

  But Amity, who you’d expect to be raging against Riley’s request was…strangely silent. When she eventually spoke, her voice was stiff as if speaking through clenched teeth.

  “Fine,” she said, shifting toward the door. “But Peterson needs to fix her first. It will be easier to sort through her memories then.”

  At first, I thought Riley would protest. But instead, he nodded.

  “Okay,” he replied.

  It was Alex who agreed to move Marty. He didn’t resist much. It was like all the determination we had seen in Colossus Fitness had just been drained out of him. I’m surprised Alex didn’t have to carry him down the hallway.

  Amity and I stood at the doorway to Calypso’s room. For a long five seconds, Amity just stared at the door knob. Then, she reached for it.

  “W-wait,” I said. “I’m sorry but… I have to know.”

  The Empowered woman frowned and looked at me.

  “It’s just… you didn’t put up much of a fight in there,” I said. “At Riley’s request.”

  “Do you see a better option, given the circumstances?”

  “You clearly can’t! I mean, you looked so shocked when Riley mentioned wiping Calypso’s mind, and I’m beginning to wonder, if maybe… just maybe, it’s because you had already decided to do that yourself?”

  Her lips spread into a scowl.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be bad at this, Dawnie? Bad with people? Stupid, awkward—”

  “This has nothing to do with me,” I said. “You said it yourself. You think that Calypso’s life would have been better if you had never been a part of it. But Amity… I’ve seen Callie’s mind.”

  “Then you know the truth better than anyone,” she snapped. “You’ve seen her time in the asylum. You’ve seen—”

  “That those few meetings with you on the playground are some of her most cherished memories.”

  Amity’s mouth snapped shut. She turned her head away.

  “Why are you being so kind to me? To both of us? After everything—”

  “Let’s just say that spending time in Callie’s head helped me understand her a little more.” I shook my head. “Listen, maybe Riley is right. Maybe erasing all of Calypso’s memories isn’t just good for the Forgers, but for Callie as well. All I know is she’s had enough people messing with her head over the years. And I…” I swallowed. “I know firsthand that just because you can’t remember something, it doesn’t make the problem go away.”

  For a few long seconds, Amity was silent.

  “All right,” Dana announced as he stepped into the hallway. “Convinced Miss Trigger Happy that I didn’t need her…” He paused. “Uh…should I have waited?”

  “No,” Amity replied, annoyance creeping into her voice. “No. I’m fine.”

  I heard a rustle and looked in the other direction to see Alex step out from Marty’s room. Alex, his armor broken beyond repair. Damaged thanks to me…

  Amity’s voice broke through my thoughts.

  “Let’s get this done.”

  Calypso sat on the bed, picking at the handcuffs on her wrist.

  “Amity,” she said slowly, then frowned. “I owe you a favor?”

  “No,” Amity said, shaking her head. “Callie, if anything I owe you.”

  “But I made a promise. On a rooftop…”

  She still thinks she’s me…

  Keys in hand I kneeled in front of Calypso and unlocked her shackles. She looked up, a puzzled expression on her face.

  “But I don’t understand,” she said. “You’re…I’m…”

  “Everything will make sense in just a minute,” I replied. “I promise.”

  Upon Dana’s instructions, Calyps
o and I stood across from each other, our hands joined. Dana stood beside us, nervous energy running through him.

  “Okay,” he said beneath his breath. “Okay.”

  And before I could question it, he reached out and grasped our hands.

  My mind exploded as Calypso’s memories were drawn to the surface. Memories I had seen before. Of her and Amity running through the schoolyard. Of the shame that had run through her when Mary Mayhew had found her upstairs with a classmate. The terror of the asylum. But there were also ones I hadn’t seen before. The sense of pride that had filled her when she was named salutatorian of her class. The grief that followed the loss of her parents—an emotion I knew all too well. And the sense of purpose she felt after Dana Peterson told her that there was a way that she could protect her city.

  Then they were gone, leaving me with nothing but Dawn-shaped memories and Dawn-shaped feelings. And there was a rightness to it, like putting the last piece in a puzzle and finally seeing the whole picture.

  But a strange sadness as well.

  “And that should do it.”

  I blinked, looking up to see Dana holding a glowing ball of energy in his left hand.

  “What’s that?” I took a step back.

  “Calypso’s powers. It will go away in just a few…see?” The light began to dim. “Douchebag-me tried to do this enough times. He wanted to keep the powers for himself. Only it never worked. Only a bridge, never a destination. Thank god.”

  With those words, the light disappeared completely. I turned to Callie Saunders.

  And she looked, well…not good.

  Her golden curls were just as greasy and tangled as my dark hair had been, only with her lighter locks, it looked even more unkempt. I blinked. I was so used to seeing her dressed up. But now…

  “Oh dear,” she said, looking at her dirty hands. “I suppose it’s a good thing my mother isn’t alive to see this.” She paused, blinking. “What’s happened to me? Why can I…”

  My memories shifted back to her time in the asylum, at how much effort it had taken for her to focus. How strange it must be to no longer struggle with such a simple thing.

  She looked up at Dana, blinking. “What did you—”