Identity

by E. J. Mara

  …she has no idea how serious this is…

  “So I guess that’s a no to the breadsticks I’ve been craving all day,” Esther sighs. She opens the top desk drawer and reaching inside, pulls out a fun-size Almond Joy.

  She finishes off the candy bar in one bite, and Ms. Greenich shakes her head. “I told you to have more than one pancake for breakfast this morning.”

  “It’s not that I’m hungry, I just want breadsticks,” Esther whines. “I was going to get some for lunch, but then there was that robbery, and then we had to go straight from there to the hospital.”

  “Please stop whining,” Ms. Greenich quietly says, “you’re stronger than that.”

  “This is so weird,” Nathaniel whispers, looking from Esther to Ms. Greenich.

  “How about OG take out?” Esther says, refusing to give up. “You guys order whatever you want and I’ll pick it up...”

  Ms. Greenich waves Esther off and makes her way to us, her calm smile returning to its place. “I can imagine how unsettling all of this must be. And Karen, I wish we hadn’t had to hide certain things from you, but your father thought it best you remain protected from the truth.”

  “Where is my father?” I ask, finally finding my voice.

  Ms. Greenich points to the pool just as a garish grinding noise, like the turning of large metal gears, sounds. The ceiling above the pool lowers and four separate waterfalls, all of them forming a square within the pool, dump water from the ceiling into the pool.

  My gaze not leaving the waterfalls, I take a careful step back, and Nathaniel tightens his grip on my hand as he asks, “What’s going on?”

  “It’s fine,” Ms. Greenich raises her voice above the noise, “Karen’s dad is bringing the ship closer so it’ll be easier for us to load the bagradae aboard.”

  “Load the bagradae?!” Nathaniel and I cry in unison.

  “Yes.” Ms. Greenich gives us a funny look and then nods to one of the large filing cabinets. For the first time, I notice that there’s something behind it.

  I move to get a better look around it and, sure enough, there’s a clear, rectangular-shaped container that stands almost as tall as the filing cabinet at about five feet. It contains tons of swarming bagradae and at the sight of it, chills run up and down my arms. “Well, that’s a little scary.”

  “Tessa’s being held at I.T.I.S. headquarters in Louisiana,” Ms. Greenich explains, “and it just so happens that their main supply of Louisiana Alyssum is also right there at their headquarters. Your father wants to make sure we destroy it.”

  “Oh.” I return my attention to the ceiling as it lowers. Now I can see that the small silver ship Ms. Greenich and Esther affectionately call “Iris” is perched on top of the descending ceiling.

  As the ceiling lowers towards the pool, the ship zips to the right and, in so doing, sends a gust of wind our way. My hair goes crazy, flying all over the place, and loose papers on Ms. Greenich’s desk are whipped up, most of them sailing off of her desk.

  The ship, still headed our way, slows down and lowers to the floor. My dad’s piloting that?

  “Your dad’s a pilot?” Nathaniel asks.

  “Apparently,” I whisper, my voice stuck in my throat.

  Iris hovers above the floor and one of its wings slides up while a side door extends, creating a ramp that leads to the floor. My dad emerges and his eyes brighten when he sees me.

  “Dad!” I release Nathaniel’s hand and run to him.

  Dad extends his arms as if he’s going to hug me and, taken aback, I nearly stumble over my feet. He closes the distance between us and wraps his arms around me, pulling me close. Despite my surprise, I sink into his embrace. This feels weird but right, we should hug more often.

  …I can’t let anything else happen to Karen… I close my eyes as his thoughts creep into mine.

  “I’m so glad you’re safe,” he says, his voice muffled against the side of my face.

  “You too,” I reply, opening my eyes. Behind us, Ms. Greenich asks Esther to help her move the bagradae to Iris.

  “I’ll help,” Nathaniel pipes up.

  “No, just rest that ankle,” Ms. Greenich says, “Esther and I will take care of this.”

  While their footsteps and busy movements continue behind us, Dad releases me and we take an awkward step away from each other. The first thing I notice about my father is that his eyes are red-rimmed and sunken into his face, dark circles underlining each of them. He looks like crap.

  “Are you okay?” I ask, though the answer is obvious.

  “I’m fine. But as you know, I.T.I.S. has your sister.” His words tumble into each other and his expression becomes even more haggard.

  “Yes.” Shifting on my feet, I say, “Back at the hospital, Dr. Mire said you came up with a formula she wants. What’s she talking about?”

  “When I worked at I.T.I.S., I ...created a lot for them.” Dad glances down, shame in his eyes. “One of my innovations was an Autism Reversal serum. As implied by the formula’s name, I hoped it would reverse the effects of autism. But when we tested it on a candidate, it didn’t reverse their condition, it expanded it into something greater, giving them near genius abilities. Jayne was excited, and she demanded I lace the serum with an I.T.I.S. drug called Ypόdeixi.”

  “What’s that?” I immediately ask. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Esther and Ms. Greenich lugging the bagaradae towards Iris, Nathaniel limping after them, insisting on helping.

  “It’s a drug that affects its subject so they’re permanently prone to the power of suggestion.” Dad pauses, his jaw tightening. “In other words, they’re at the mercy of a “master,” who tells them what to do from when to use the restroom to when to kill a target.”

  “Geez Louise.” My heart racing, I look Dad in the eye and make sure to speak so he can hear me, “Dr. Mire wanted you to make people with autism into geniuses who she could control?”

  He nods. “She’s obsessed with the idea.”

  “Why?” I shake my head. “That’s so insane. Why would anyone target people with autism and try to do that to them? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “It does, in a way.” Dad shifts on his feet and adjusts his glasses. “You see, Jayne had a rough time when she was a kid. She was constantly made fun of, misunderstood, bullied. She had …has the same …” Dad sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

  “Has the same what?” I urge.

  “She has the same form of autism that I have, it’s called Asperger’s. Though we were both diagnosed with autism, Jayne figured out that a more correct term for our way of thinking falls into the category of Asperger’s.” As Dad says this, I take a step back, looking at him in disbelief. He watches me carefully and frowns. “Are you surprised or did you notice?”

  “I had no idea, Dad.”

  “Our diagnosis of autism was actually how Jayne and I met. We were both sent to a horrible summer camp for children with autism. It was more of a research study than a camp. Anyhow, the way we were treated was upsetting, and Jayne’s more sensitive than I am. I believe she began her plan with good intentions, she wanted something better for people like us. That’s why the majority of her I.T.I.S. employees and test subjects had some form of autism. She was giving us a chance. But Jayne became greedy and she wanted more, she wanted control.”

  “I get it.” I nod.

  “That’s one of the reasons I left I.T.I.S and destroyed the bulk of my research. The thing is, I knew Jayne would come after me, demanding I replicate everything I’d created. So I used the Luomnem Machine to erase my memories of every formula I’d come up with.”

  “You erased your own memory?” I stare at him in horror.

  His eyes fixed on mine, he opens his mouth to say something and then closes it.

  “What? Go on,” I urge.

  His gaze returning to the ground, he says, “I used the Luomnem Machine to target specific memories, not everything. My point is, when I tell Jayne I don’t have the formula, I’
m telling the truth. Even if I tried to replicate the serum, it wouldn’t be exact. Which is dangerous, perhaps even lethal.”

  “Okay, I understand.” I nod, terror turning my stomach. “But back at the hospital, Dr. Mire said she’d mess with Tessa’s DNA, like she’d experiment on her or something. Do you think she’ll use a blend of her own Autism Reversal serum with Ypόdeixi on Tessa? Do you think she’s going to try and control Tessa?”

  Dad bites down on his bottom lip, his eyes so sad that they answer my question without my even needing to hear his thoughts. I clench my fists. “We’ve got to get Tessa away from her.”

  His voice low, Dad says, “Yes, we do.”

  “And we will, if we leave now,” Ms. Greenich cuts in as she makes her way back down Iris’s ramp. “Jayne works fast, and there’s no telling how much she’s already done. So, I suggest we get a move on.”

  “Right, let me just gear up…” Dad says, scurrying away.

  I glance at the sea of small white flowers beside us. Traces of those plants and the Triphylamonal are now probably in my little sister’s blood, and there’s no telling what Dr. Mire’s turned her into …

  My stomach turning, I start towards the ship.

  I keep telling myself everything’s going to be okay, but what if Dr. Mire’s really hurt Tessa?

  “Karen and Nathaniel?” Ms. Greenich interrupts my thoughts. Her mask in her hand, she glances at Nathaniel as she says, “I.T.I.S.’s headquarters are heavily guarded and considering how dangerous this is, I don’t like the idea of you two there. So you won’t be entering the headquarters. You’re going to wait it out in Iris. Understood?”

  “Only you and Esther are going in?” I ask. My heart sinking, I imagine the two of them facing a mob of mutants like Roy as they try to get to my sister.

  “Your dad too. Three of us is enough.”

  “My dad?!” I cry, horrified. “Ms. Greenich, you can’t possibly think it’s a good idea to send my dad in there. He’s not a fighter.”

  “Do you remember our conversation about shaping your own identity?” Ms. Greenich asks.

  Nathaniel looks from me to Ms. Greenich.

  “Yeah.” I shift on my feet.

  “Your dad may not be a born fighter, but he’s strong.” She says, looking me in the eye the way she always does. “Strength isn’t just knowing who you are, it’s the ability to change who you are as the need arises. Trust me, I’ve seen your dad adapt to become whatever he needs to take care of the people he cares about.”

  “No, with all due respect, Ms. Greenich,” I say, shaking my head, “this isn’t some guidance counseling session; this is my dad’s life. I don’t think he can even throw a punch, and you want to send him into I.T.I.S.?”

  “Karen.” Ms. Greenich points left. “Look at your father.”

  I do as told and nearly fall over. Dad’s wearing an on-body holster as he makes his way towards us, and he’s loading a gun.

  “He knows how to load a gun?” I whisper.

  “Your father’s stronger than you give him credit for,” Ms. Greenich says. “The only reason any of us are here today is because fifteen years ago, he got us out of I.T.I.S. Trust me, he’s an adaptable guy.”

  My entire world rattled, I watch Dad put the gun in his holster.

  I bite down on my bottom lip, turn away from him, and mumble, “Just promise me you’ll take care of him.”

  “It’d be my honor,” Ms. Greenich says, gently patting my shoulder.

  Nathaniel takes my hand and we glance at each other. He nods in the direction of the ship. “Ready?”

  “Yeah.”

  We make our way up the ramp and I turn back, glancing at my father.

  There’s so much about my dad that I never noticed …his genius, his strength, the reason why he sometimes behaves the way he does. It’s taken the whole world turning upside down for me to really see my own father. That’s not good, I’ve got to learn to open my eyes and see people as they are.

  Despite Ms. Greenich’s best efforts in wrapping my ankle and giving me two Aleve, my ankle feels worse. But I’d rather keep my mouth shut about it. Tessa’s been kidnapped by a lunatic who’s going to shoot her up with a DNA-changing drug and I complain about my ankle hurting? Lame.

  I take a deep breath and push my thoughts away from the pain, my gaze going to Karen. She’s strapped into the seat beside me, having a pretty intense conversation with her dad. He’s seated to her left, across from her on the other aisle. Just ahead of us, Ms. Greenich pilots Iris and Esther occupies the copilot seat to her right.

  The ship teeters right and Ms. Greenich calls, “Just a little turbulence guys, no worries,” over her shoulder. I say, “Okay,” and return my attention to Karen, studying her while she talks to her father. There’s intensity in both of their eyes as they discuss how long he worked for I.T.I.S. and what being there was like.

  “When I first got to the island and saw what Jayne and her team had built, it was like a dream come true,” Dr. Lyles says, his voice low and his expression thoughtful. He nods to Karen, “I took to it the way you took to gymnastics the second you walked into Matthew’s Gymnastics. Do you remember that first day when your mother and I dropped you off?”

  He smiles and Karen’s eyes widen. “Yeah, but, um, I didn’t think you remembered.”

  “Of course I do.” He clasps his hands together and nods. “A parent doesn’t forget something like that. That and the day you learned to walk ...”

  Karen’s face lights up as he describes her first day of gymnastics in detail and I have this overwhelming urge to hug Dr. Lyles. Of course he’d probably punch me in the face if I tried. So, I just sit back in my seat and watch them, my heart mushing the way it does after one of those sappy Hallmark card commercials. Dr. Lyles has his quirks …and his secrets, but none of that stopped him from caring about his family. In fact, he kept secrets from Karen and her sister to protect them. They’re lucky to have a Dad like him.

  My foot throbs and, in an attempt to ignore it, I glance at Ms. Greenich. Decked out in the sleek Unseen costume that clings to her like a wetsuit, she looks like she’s stepped out of the pages of a comic book. The black face mask that she has yet to put on sits on the console between her and Esther’s seats. It’s still kind of difficult for me to process the fact that Ms. Greenich and Esther are Unseen.

  “Isn’t it crazy?” Esther turns around, tossing me one of her smirks.

  “Yeah.” I return her smile and adjust my ankle so it’s propped up on my other leg.

  “That’s hurting pretty bad, huh?” Her eyebrows go up as she glances at it.

  “It’s fine,” I shrug. “Tessa’s the one to worry about. It’s not like my ankle’s been kidnapped by a deranged scientist.”

  Esther’s smirk becomes a sympathetic smile and I can’t help but notice how her eyes light up when she smiles. She really is pretty and for all the crap she’s been through, she’s an incredibly decent person. I can see why Brad likes her. Of course, Brad doesn’t know the half of who she really is.

  Esther’s eyes soften and she says, “I don’t like him the way Karen likes you. You’re perfect for each other. Me and Brad just aren’t like that.”

  My face warms as I realize she’s picking up on every one of my thoughts.

  “Well, yeah, I get it.” Embarrassed, I glance down. “So, um, I’ve been meaning to ask you about your ability. Like, what is it exactly? I’ve been there when you do what you do, of course, but I still have no idea what’s going on when it happens.”

  Esther laughs. “Yeah, it’s pretty wild, right?”

  I smile. “Moving faster than the speed of light? Nah. Boring, completely normal.”

  She chuckles. “Dr. Lyles calls it “tunneling”. Basically, my ability allows me to access various points in time and space a lot faster than the average person.” Esther rattles off the response so quickly that it takes a second for me to turn her words over in my mind.

  After frowning into space whil
e Esther silently chides me ‘not to break my brain’, I ask, “So, that means you can run really fast?”

  “Nah, not quite.” She tilts her head and purses her lips. “It’s hard to explain. I guess I’m a lot better at hiding my ability than I am at explaining it. Dr. Lyles is better at that ...”

  Her words take me by surprise and considering them, I watch her turn to Karen’s dad and cheerfully apologize for interrupting their conversation.

  ...a life devoted to keeping secrets can be downright oppressive. For about ten years, my Mom and I had that burden. We kept Dad’s abuse a secret, and honestly, I think that hurt us even more than the actual abuse. Even today, remnants of that time in our life still affect me. Like, Karen thinks I have no problem making friends or opening up to people, but I do. No matter who the person is I’m talking to, especially if it’s another guy, in the back of my mind, I expect them to hate me.

  Now, I watch Esther’s easy smile brighten her expression and I can’t help but feel even more respect for her. Sure, her secret’s different from mine, but it’s inspiring to see someone like me, someone with real baggage, face other people with confidence.

  “Dr. Lyles will explain it more clearly,” Esther says, returning her attention to me.

  I nod and glance at Karen’s dad, my gaze inadvertently going to the holster at his hip. As much as I like Dr. Lyles, the sight of it is unsettling.

  While he launches into his explanation, I steal a peek at Karen and she’s looking at me. I grin and silently ask her if she’s alright, my gaze darting to her lips. If her dad weren’t here, I’d kiss her again. She shrugs and blinks a little too quickly, like she’s trying not to cry.

  … just worried about Tessa…

  Her eyes fill and my heart sinks. I wish I could hold her, but there’s no way I can with Dr. Lyles right here. He’s as overprotective of Karen as she is of Tessa. ‘We’ll get her back, Karen,’ I silently reply. ‘Ms. Greenich and Esther know what they’re doing.’

  “… have you, Nathaniel?” Dr. Lyles asks.

  I snap to attention and shift in my seat. “Sorry, sir, uh, what was that?” I ask, clearing my throat.