Mrs. Invisible

by Christina Hagmann

  She slipped on a dress, first stopping to feel her skin where the strange suit should be. She thought she could see a faint sparkle in her flesh, but ignored it and went to the bathroom mirror to swipe her lips with rose-colored gloss. She dabbed perfume on her wrists and neck before returning to the kitchen.

  At ten to six, Emma heard the front door open, and a smile spread across her face. She allowed hope to bloom in her chest.

  She heard Trevor drop his keys on the table in the foyer. She turned to greet him. “Hey, Tre.” She reached up to give him a hug.

  “What’s this?” he asked, squeezing her back in return. She loosened her grip and looked up into eyes that used to resemble endless oceans, but now were flat and tired.

  “I thought I’d surprise you with dinner.” Trevor glanced down at her dress, his eyes revealing a familiar hint of playfulness as they travelled to her cleavage.

  Trevor unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Emmy.”

  “I’m glad you said that, Trevor. We need to talk, and I’ve been waiting for some quality time from you.”

  Trevor’s hands dropped from his shirt as his eyes drooped. He let out a sigh like a deflated balloon. “Emma, I just need time.”

  Emma halted, her heart hammering in her chest. Those weren’t the words she expected to come out of his mouth. She wanted to have a real conversation, but instead she felt anger and hurt bubbling up from the deep. She couldn’t hold back even if she wanted to.

  “You say time like it’s an actual commodity rather than a concept. Like it’s a distinct measurement. I see weeks and months slipping away. I see time that we can’t get back. Don’t you see, Trevor? There will always be another project, another puzzle for you to solve. Meanwhile, I’ve been here through it all, waiting, frozen in time.”

  Trevor remained silent. Emma fought the urge to cry. She willed him to apologize, to reach out, to do something to stop the chasm that was growing larger.

  When nothing came, Emma continued. “I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at the bottom of your list.t shouldn’t be that way, not if you plan on having me around the rest of your life. I’m your best friend. Treat me that way. Treat me like you want me around, not like I have to.”

  At that moment, Emma had a choice to make. She could tell Trevor. Put it all on the table. Be honest, like she wanted him to be with her. But it might force him to tell the people he worked for. Emma had no idea what would happen to her or her powers.

  She thought about what Weston said. Invisibility wasn’t a power you wanted in the wrong hands, so if she kept it from Trevor, she’d be saving not only herself, but the world.

  His silence was killing her. “Trevor, I gave up everything for this. For us. I took a gamble.”

  Trevor shook his head. “I didn’t ask you to give up your career. You volunteered it willingly. I’m sick of you throwing that in my face.”

  Emma flinched as though someone had slapped her.

  “Wait, Emmy, that’s not what I meant.” He reached out to her, but she stepped back. Instead of taking her hand, he ran his hand over his hair and down his face. “I’ve been under so much pressure at work. And with the nanites being so close,” he trailed off, realizing he couldn’t say anymore.

  Emma squeezed her eyes shut tight.

  “Damn it, Emmy. You know it kills me that I can’t say anything to you. That I can’t tell you what I spend all my time doing.” He pounded one fist on the table as he slouched in his chair. Then his words came at a whisper. “Maybe this won’t work.”

  Emma opened her eyes, her breath catching. She stared at her husband. She was only a few feet from him, but she felt miles away.

  Trevor continued, but he was looking down at his feet. “If I’m making you feel this way, maybe we shouldn’t be together.”

  Emma’s head buzzed. She’d never imagined those words would come from Trevor. Her brain searched for words to send to her mouth, but there were none.

  Trevor finally looked up and saw the look on her face. “Emmy, I didn’t mean,” he pushed back from the table and took two steps in her direction, but Emma finally found words.

  “Don’t, Trevor. Just don’t.” She put her hands up, waving him away. His face crumbled as he began to cry.

  Emma stared at Trevor as though a stranger. She watched as he straightened up, his eyes looking anywhere but Emma. She waited for him to speak, but instead of pleading, or trying to take back his words. He walked over to the foyer.

  His back was still turned to her as he reached for the keys, but his hand paused, hovering over them. Emma willed him to stop. To turn and run back to her. She might forgive his words. She might let it pass as stress and pressure. Don’t go. The words screamed in her head.

  Trevor scooped up the keys. He reached for the door handle and paused one more time before leaving.

  Emma let loose quietly, racking sobs as she dropped to her knees on the kitchen floor. She closed in on herself, lying on her side and pulling her knees to her chest.

  Chapter 14 The Meeting

  Emma didn’t know how long she remained on the kitchen floor, but she lifted herself up when her phone buzzed. She rushed to the counter, hoping it was Trevor. If he sent an apology, she could forget the sting of his words. She could chalk them up as an after effect of pressure at work, and being held at gunpoint.

  But it wasn’t Trevor. It was Weston.

  She pressed the talk button and held her phone up to her ear.

  “Are you okay, Emma?” Weston spoke into the phone. What an odd way to greet someone, Emma thought. She opened her mouth to answer, but she didn’t know what to say.

  “Emma, I’m sorry I have to do this. So sorry that I needed to let you know. This isn’t about you. This is about protecting the world.” The phone went silent.

  Emma looked at the screen, but Weston was still on the line.

  He cleared his throat and continued. “When you said Trevor was close, it made me think. I can’t let him and the people he’s working for have this power. You don’t understand, Emma. You don’t understand what happened to my family. If you did, you’d know why I need to do this.

  “Do what?” Emma asked. Weston usually sounded so cool and collected, but there was an edge to his voice.

  “Emma, I’m blowing the lab tonight. I thought I should let you know.”

  “Weston, don’t do that.” Emma gripped the phone with both hands. “You don’t have to do that.”

  Weston continued as though he hadn’t heard her. “The problem is that Trevor just showed up, but maybe it’s for the best. I know he’ll never stop.”

  “Weston, what are you talking about?” Emma shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts that jumbled in her head.

  “I hope you won’t hate me. It’s already done.”

  And then he ended the call. Emma stared at the phone, trying to process what Weston had said. Blow the lab. With Trevor inside.

  She tried to pull up the number that Weston called from, but she fumbled with her phone and it clattered to the floor. “Shit!” Emma ran to the door and grabbed her keys. She had to get to the lab. She had to stop Weston.

  Driving across town, weaving through the nighttime traffic, Emma’s hands were shaking so bad that she thought she was going to crash.

  Emma parked across the street from the building that housed Axion Labs. She wasn’t sure if Weston was watching for her, but she knew the reason he called was because he wanted her there.

  Emma closed her eyes and thought about being invisible. When she looked down, she could see through her body to the car seat. It had a dizzying effect on her, but there was no time to think about it. She slipped out of the car, and pushed it closed with a quiet “click.” She then sprinted toward the lab. Toward Trevor. And Weston.

  She made her way into the lobby of the building. Weston said he was blowing the lab, but she wasn’t sure what he meant by that. Was it just the lab that was rigged? Or would he
blow the whole building?

  Security lights provided just enough glow for Emma to make her way through the room. Trevor would be in his lab on the third floor, but Emma didn’t even know how much time she had. She could take the stairs and try to warn Trevor or she could try to find Weston and stop him. He had to be here to know that Trevor was here, or maybe he was doing everything remotely.

  Emma didn’t have to wonder for too long. To her right, a short distance down the corridor, a room was lit up. She took a few steps, knowing that even if he turned, he wouldn’t see her. She gripped the door handle and pulled back.

  Emma held her breath as she entered the room, afraid that he would hear her. She pushed herself up against the far wall.

  He stood in the room's corner, rigging something mechanical. Emma could see that whatever he was working with had a timer on it. Emma gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Her eyes trailed back to Weston. He stood, his back straight, and his head tilted. Emma thought she saw him sniff the air. She tried not to breathe.

  Weston turned his head so that Emma could see his profile. He was wearing the same clear mask from the gala along with the navy-blue jumpsuit. Emma placed her palms on the wall, and even though she knew that he couldn’t see her, she tried to disappear into the wall.

  “Who’s there?” Emma could hear the smile in his voice. “I know you’re here, Emma.”

  Emma could feel her pulse throbbing hard and fast in her neck. Weston finally turned and faced the room, taking a step toward her though she was still a safe distance away. He smelled the air again.

  “You probably don’t even know it, but you smell wonderful. Fruity, yet... feminine.”

  Emma felt her forehead get sticky with perspiration. She clenched her fists.

  “Am I your first stop? Or did you get Trevor out?” Weston asked the empty room.

  Emma remained silent.

  “Oh, that’s right. You couldn’t get Trevor. You can’t let him know about your new abilities. I know deep down you know what I said was true. If you really love your husband as much as you say you do, why haven’t you told him about this? Not only would it be a breakthrough in his research, he should probably know that his wife could be lurking around anywhere at any moment.” His words had an edge that was different from all of her previous conversations. Was it jealousy?

  Once again, Emma’s emotions got the best of her. “What goes on between me and my husband is none of your business.”

  “But, it’s an invasion of his privacy if you’re sneaking around, watching him when he doesn’t know he’s being watched.” Again, there was a bite to his words. And she knew it wasn’t about Trevor.

  “Since when are you so worried about my husband?” She baited him.

  “Everyone deserves freedom to be themselves. Which,” Weston grinned devilishly, “is why we are taking down this program tonight. No one in the world should have to worry about being spied on. The government is power crazy, and many of the people in this building tonight fall into that category. I’m including your husband in this category as well, even though he is an innocent scientist. He is just making things easier for the government to control us all.”

  “You’re paranoid.” Emma inched forward, trying to figure out just how to get the upper hand. The man in the alley hadn’t known she was there, but even if he did, she still could have gotten the best of him.

  Weston continued. “And you’re in denial. You know the power you have. Imagine that in the hands of the government. They wouldn’t have to worry about top secret missions anymore because everything would be top secret. Don’t tell me you are so perfect that you haven’t looked in on people when they didn’t know it. That’s why you got so upset when I was talking about your husband. You have spied on him, haven’t you?”

  Emma glared at him, even though he couldn’t see her. He took her silence as confirmation.

  “That’s okay, Emma. I know you’re a good person. But what your husband is trying to do,” he paused, rubbing his hand over his stubbled head, “your husband is trying to make invisibility accessible to the government, who will use it to defend our country. That’s how it will start, and then they will use it to police us, saying that it is for the good of our country. We’ve seen this thing before, Emma, but only with nothing so big as this. We can’t let them get a hold of it.”

  “You don’t even know who I am.” Emma felt the tremor in her voice and hoped Weston couldn’t hear it.

  “And you don’t know who I am, yet I know you feel this connection.” Weston searched the air.

  Emma felt her cheeks burn red and was embarrassed, even though she knew Weston couldn’t see it.

  “Emma, you know how it feels to have people look at you and think that what they see on the surface is all there is; like there is nothing underneath, but I know there is something underneath that surface that is more fantastic than the eye could ever see. Together we could make them see.”

  “Is this about your family?” Emma asked, trying to get him to keep talking. She knew the Morleys were gone. Weston had been just a teenager and had inherited their fortune, but she didn’t know how they died. She thought it was in a plane crash.

  He took a few steps closer to where she stood, searching the air for signs of her. “Did you know that you aren’t completely invisible?” he whispered, changing the subject. His hand darted out and grabbed her by the wrist.

  She gasped trying to pull away, but he pulled her to him.

  “Emma, your husband just doesn’t see you like I see you.” He breathed in the air around her

  “How did you?” She tried to pull away.

  “Wait,” he stopped. “Let’s make this fair.” He pushed the button of the remote and the room plunged into darkness. “Now we’re even. In the dark, we’re equals.” She tried to pull away again, but he still held tight. She could hear him sliding his mask off and she squinted in the dark, trying to see him.

  Chapter 15 This Must End

  He reached out, catching her hand even though it was invisible. He brought it to his lips and his mouth on her skin was as light as a whisper. She watched him work his way up her arm. He touched her elbow and pulled her in. She was intoxicated by his heady scent, and her stomach was alight with flames. He found her face with his free hand and ran a finger down the tip of her nose. “So beautiful,” he murmured.

  Emma felt like an outsider, watching a scene in a movie, as he pulled her to him and she let him. He leaned down, and she felt him lean closer, his breath hot and minty on her face. When his lips touched hers, it was electric. She let his tongue caress hers, sliding her hands down his shoulders and gripping his biceps.

  Finally, she thought of Trevor. She loved her husband. Weston’s body, felt unfamiliar compared to her husband’s. She missed the scruff of his chin and his long lanky body, that always found a way to wrap itself around her.

  She used that moment to reach around and grab the detonator from off the table. Weston must have sensed her shift because he caught her arm, but Emma spun and wrenched her arm from his.

  “Emma, don’t do this.” He held his hands up, backing away.

  “Weston, if you do know me like you claim to, you know I could never hurt anyone. And I could never let you hurt anyone.” She held the detonator back and away from him.

  “We have to stop this, Emma. I thought you understood.” Weston continued to back away with his hands up. “The government will use this against us, like they did with my parents.

  Emma shook her head, confused. “Weston, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “The government had my parents killed and they took their patents on their most dangerous projects. I can’t share them with you. You won’t want to know these things are in the world.” He took a few more steps back so he was out of her reach. Emma didn’t know if he was crazy or telling the truth.

  Before she could ask him about it, with one fluid movement, he reached in the pocket of his overalls and pulled out a g
un and aimed it at her.

  The shot was deafening, and Emma felt blinding pain in her right shoulder. Without thinking, she dropped the detonator, her eyes wide in horror as it clambered to the floor. She reached her left hand up and pulled it away, blood soaking through. She was completely visible now, and the strange suit that had disappeared, was also visible on her body.

  “I’m sorry, Emma. You’ll be fine. You’ll get over Trevor.” He reached down and scooped up the detonator. Clenching it tightly in his hand, he paused. He bit his lip as though in thought, before pressing his thumb down.

  “No!” she screamed, but her voice was muffled with a cacophony of bangs that came from the floors above them. Emma’s hands covered her ears as she crouched. She watched Weston turn and run. She winced as the pain in her shoulder dropped her to her knees.

  “Trevor,” she groaned, waiting to see if the ceiling was going to collapse on her, burying her in a pile of rubble. Invisibility couldn’t save her now. She only hoped that her message was sent in time.

  Chapter 16 Save the Day

  When the ceiling didn’t give on her, Emma grimaced as she pushed herself back up on her feet. Emma did her best to rush down the back stairway, wincing when her arm moved, pain shooting through her bullet wound. She imagined Weston had come this way, but there was no trace of him.

  She thought about being invisible again, hoping that it still worked. She didn’t want anyone to see her exiting the building. How would she explain it? Then she let out a grimace and reached again for her shoulder. How would she explain being shot? Maybe the wound wasn’t that bad.

  As she got to the bottom of the stairwell near the emergency exit, she decided to check out the damage of the bullet. She still couldn’t believe Weston shot her. She concentrated on being visible again, and watched as her hands materialized in front of. She could see the suit again. But this time, when she looked at her shoulder, she saw the suit knitting itself back together.