Program Erin

by Alex Fall

  "Doctor Sanders? There's a woman here with a piece of equipment for Erin De'mus' treatment. She said she has some specific instructions on its use she needs to go over with you," said a guy who worked at the front desk. I knew this "woman" to be one of Nicolette's girls.

  "Treatment? I...didn't request any-"

  "I did. It's osteomagnetherapy," I stated.

  "Magnetic therapy? As in..."

  "Yep. Accelerated bone healing. In theory, it accelerates all the healing processes of the body. Perhaps you've heard of it?" I asked, hiding another loaded question.

  The old physician knitted his brow. "And you want to try this on yourself? Without testing?"

  "Yes. Get it set up. If you need to re- break my hand, do it. I want to be back to full functionality by the time I leave this Med." I narrowed my eyes to accentuate my seriousness.

  The doctor looked to the nurse, then back to his receptionist. "Well...Captain's orders."

  It seemed as if it took forever to set the machine up. They needed to bring the system to an underground room, and that room needed to be heavily magnetically shielded. The amount of E.M. this machine supposedly generated was enough to rock the entire city of Yales. I was told in advance that I couldn't even wear anything with zippers or buttons that might be metal. I was given a hospital gown. Though the crates the Greaters brought provided some mobile magnetic shielding, it wasn't good enough. The room would have to have been constructed for the specific purpose of using this contraption. The doctor arranged to move the machine to a compatible room out in the Jenji. It wasn't until close to midnight before it was ready. In the meantime, I had to listen to them tell me how damaged my body really was, how much bruising I had gone through, the specifics of how I needed to improve my diet, how badly they wanted to me take rehab for my sleep med "problem." They let me loose for lunch, but I still had to visit a couple more physicians, who picked up just how much I had been burning myself lately. But through it all, I gathered one interesting tidbit of info.

  My power was growing.

  I knew I had no limit to how hot or powerful I wanted it to be, except the payoff was how big of a burn did I want to acquire. But I was informed the ratio of damage output to self inflicted damage was slowly widening. The amount of damage my body was taking is lessening lately. However, it wasn't a very meaningful ratio. The numbers needed to rise for it to mean I could use my power a lot more.

  Before I could have my major damages assessed though, I needed to have my bones fixed first. To do that, I needed to re-break my hand. That was...an experience. It resurfaced old memories of Directorate testing. It made me angry. And besides that it hurt, despite the numbing. This had better work...

  "So, we can't actually be in the room with you while the machine is on. If that makes you uncomfortable, then maybe we can come up with another solution. Perhaps another treatment," doctor Sanders explained.

  "You break my hand a second time and now you're suddenly shy?" I asked. It probably would have irritated me, but I was pretty drugged up.

  "No, but considering your past experiences, I figured being alone in a room full of medical equipment and people watching from another room might rehash some feelings..."

  I peeked into the blank, matte white, plastic room. He may be right...but I want my hand back. Is there a way to keep myself from overreacting?

  "I want Keegan here."

  "Who?" The nurse asked.

  "Keegan Laverdiere. The De'mus Board knows who he is."

  "At this hour?" The nurse dared to ask.

  "This very hour," I growled. "And don't you dare be late with it..."

  I passed the time by examining the room. I did feel nervous about entering it alone, but I knew in the back of my mind that if the doors shut and lock, I could burn my way out. Even still, the clean, white, hollowness of this room and its peculiar shape, the intricate, unfamiliar medical technology with the doctors standing just outside; all of it put me on edge. It wasn't until Keegan showed up that I calmed down a little.

  As usual, he greeted me with a sing song voice. "Erin."

  "In here."

  "Bonjour," he said as he came around the corner. This room didn't have the same effect on him as it did me. Keegan entered without hesitation. It took me several minutes to psych myself up enough to walk in.

  "Did they tell you what's going on?"

  "Oui."

  I looked up and examined a piece protruding down from the ceiling, a channeling device meant to pull the EM force from the bubble shaped walls and focus it on my broken hand. "Can you make sure I'll be ok?"

  "Bien sûr." He moved forward and pulled me into a hug, yet I hesitated because that annoying, pretty nurse was watching. But Keegan always knows what to do. He broke my concentration by holding up a lemon.

  "One day I'm going to find out where you're getting these things from."

  He opened my hand and placed the fruit in my fingers.

  "Sorry, I have to wait until after the procedure before I can eat. Just watch over me, ok?"

  Keegan just smiled. "Ok..."

  And then, the room. A white, bubble shaped, underground dome that felt hollow and imposing. It seemed to draw me in, as if it had suction, which only made me stiff and sketchy. But I had to do this. I took a deep breath and strode in. A male nurse helped situate me in the chair and position my arm, all the while confirming if I was comfortable or if I would be alright. Just hurry up and get this over with...

  When he exited the room, the only communication I would have left would be a small LED to signal the procedure was starting. Finally, the room was empty. It was sealed. I was alone. Watching with some anxiety from my seat, I found myself staring at a tiny red light on the wall. Here I am, at the mercy of yet another experimental medical device. The light flicked to green. The machine put off some annoyingly high pitched noise, barely perceivable by the ear. Then, a second light came on, a blue one.

  The whole room groaned like something threatened to pull it apart. An invisible force tugged lightly at my fireproof underclothes. A fuzzy sensation filled my head. What seemed to be my blood felt tingly. However, more than anything, a massive, uncomfortable pain awoke within my bones.

  It must have been the adjustments on my skeletal structure. All the experimentation to accelerate the healing of my bones and tendons, they used ferrous materials at several points. And now, this machine found those deep seeded genetic add-ons and punished me for having them. It felt as if someone ran a hook through the end of each of the fractures in my hand then pulled them towards one another. Even the pain in my shin felt like something was trying to split it in half.

  The rest of my body tensed and flexed against the pain. My left hand gripped the armrest to the point I felt like I might punch holes in it. My teeth gritted and forced a scream of pain into a growl. But this sensation in my hand felt so unnatural. It hurt so much!

  "*Cuuuuuuss!*" I screeched, my growls failing and turning into a scream. My broken hand clenched into a fist the moment the machine switched on.

  "Turn it off!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

  But the machine stayed on. Can they hear me? Why isn't Keegan helping?!

  I felt cornered and incapacitated, so I turned to my only remaining option. I reached out to the sickness inside of me and began to gather it up. And it was out of reflex because of the expected pain of the burns that I opened my broken hand. That's when it popped back into place. It blurred my vision, but the pain died down. I was left with a burning, tugging sensation in my bones, but the whole experience left me drained and tired. Even through my blurred vision, I saw the blue light disappear, and the room groaned again as it returned to normal. The unnatural feelings left my body, and finally the door unsealed.

  Part 27

  "Arrête ça," Keegan repeated.

  Long after leaving the med, I worked my hand, curious about the level of healing. Even here at dinner, I kept flexing my hand against the splint the nurses strapped on me. And whenever
I would begin to zone out, Keegan would repeat his phrase and try to break my concentration.

  "Is that her?" A whisper brushed my ear. The people of the restaurant are noticing...

  "She looks worse than I heard."

  "Looks fine from a distance."

  "Erin," a much nearer voice said. Keegan reached across the table and worked his way into unflexing my newly formed hand. "Tu vas te faire mal."

  I sat on my hand to get it away from him. "I don't understand you."

  "Is she that Erin girl?"

  "Oh I hear she's trouble."

  "Oh god, I think that's Erin De'mus."

  "Erin." I glanced back over at the man across from me when he said my name again.

  "What? You keep saying my name."

  He touched his ear and shook his head. My eyes narrowed slightly. Does he know I can hear them? Can he hear them, or is he just reading me?

  "And here we are. Shrimp linguine for the sir, and Howard special for the missus," our perky, boyish waiter announced upon arriving with food. "Does everything look good?"

  "I'm not married."

  "Well...no one said you were," he replied, clapping his hands together nervously and emitting a chuckle.

  "You called me missus. Don't you know who I am?" I said glancing up at him.

  "I, well...it's just a saying I say. Sometimes. Not all the time."

  "Do you know who I am? Everyone else in this restaurant seems to," I insisted. Why am I so moody all of the sudden?

  The startled waiter's response was cut short by a convenient and annoying slurping. "Mm. Thé?" Keegan shook his glass. It's not even empty, what is he doing?

  "Absolutely, right away!" The waiter dashed off without a second word.

  "You think you were saving him, weren't you?" I asked once we were left to ourselves.

  "Mm-hm," he responded while finishing off his drink. He followed up by flicking my hand.

  "Ow! What?!"

  "Bad. Bad Erin."

  "Are you learning Anglo just to chastise me?"

  And out comes the translator. Sharon is going to get bored without her computer. "Your eyes are very pretty."

  My face flushed a little. "You're very good at ignoring me."

  Typing. "If I was ignoring, I wouldn't see your eyes."

  I looked away to hide my eyes. "You know what you're doing."

  "Oui."

  Whispers reached for my ears again. I shut my eyes in some sort of attempt to drown them out but some still demanded my attention.

  "Why do I have to serve her? I can't even give her a refill without almost dying!"

  "That's a brave man sitting with Erin."

  "Oh lord, if she's here we'll come back later."

  Then something was set in my lap; Keegan's laptop translator. "How's your food? I picked this place because it was top notch."

  "Can't I just bring my food home? I don't like being in public."

  "Non."

  "Keegan, it's insanely late. How did you know this place would even be open?"

  He just smiled then stuck his tongue out at me.

  I folded my arms and stared at my food. "Because you're a mind reader..." I sighed.

  "Sorry for the wait. Here's your tea."

  Typing. Then he handed the translator, not to me, but to the waiter. A look of hidden, yet amused confusion passed his face. "I'm sorry, what's this?"

  Oh no, what is he doing? I snatched the laptop from the waiter's hands while Keegan stood from his seat. It read, "Do you like Ben E. King?"

  "What are you doing?" I asked semi-frantically, while he pushed me back to sitting. "No, what are you doing?"

  "Monsieur?" Keegan nodded to the waiter.

  "Well...yes I love him. But why? How did you know?" The waiter admitted, somewhat giddy.

  That was enough. Keegan clapped his hands and took off with a fork and a knife. People were beginning to notice the commotion. Keegan passed through the restaurant excitedly, but specifically. He made sure to tap anything with a unique pinging tone on the way to his undisclosed destination. Glasses. Thin metal light covers. Handrails. In fact, he tapped only at certain times. A beat. And amidst it all, he flashed me the most mischievous of grins. Oh no, no, no. What is he planning? I fell for one of his traps haven't I? Maybe I should just leave before it's too late...

  He was heading for the corner of the room. The corner that kept all the instruments. My body tensed. If he pulls out a cello...No. Not this kind of place. A bar like this wouldn't keep a cello.

  Would they?

  No. He pulled out a guitar. And then...he began to play it. He knows guitar? Since when does he know how to play an instrument? I mentally reviewed the belongings of his room that I found him in. And that tune. What is that tune? The waiter next to me giggled suddenly.

  "Oh my god, he knows it!" He whispered excitedly to himself.

  The tune carried well in this little establishment. Something about it...it captured everyone's attention. They were all smiling. A pause in the music came from Keegan offering a microphone to our waiter. I stood reflexively. Keegan pointed at him with a sly grin. "Hé, allons!"

  After a moment more of coaxing, the waiter got caught in the moment. So he shoved the serving tray into my hands, rushed to Keegan's side, turned the mic on, and began to sing. And when he began to sing, Keegan began to play. Is this really happening?

  "When the night has come

  And the land is dark

  And the moon is the only light we'll see

  No I won't be afraid

  Oh, I won't be afraid

  Just as long as you stand, stand by me."

  The restaurant changed. People kept the beat going silently by tapping a foot or a finger. One or two even began to silently mouth the words. Even the staff came out to see who was playing, as there were no performances scheduled. All of their attention was off of me. Except for one. Keegan.

  Sure, he would interact with the excited young waiter who got his moment to show off his voice. But he never looked at the crowd. He looked at me. What the heck is all this about anyway? All I could do was stare. And that might have been all I did, except that Keegan made his way back to me, sat on the edge of my table and did his best to mouth the words of the chorus to me while finishing out the song.

  "So darling, darling

  Stand by me, oh stand by me

  Oh stand, stand by me

  Stand by me."

  I'm pretty sure he didn't actually know what he was saying, but it was enough for me to sit back in my seat and hide myself behind my hair. Everyone clapped at the end except me. I was far too embarrassed. I'm going to kill him. I swear I'm going to burn him up for this.

  People came up to thank and commend Keegan for playing, saying how much of a treat it was. No one noticed me. I was invisible. They weren't afraid. I managed to stay out of notice by eating my food silently. There were only so many people here, but once they all had their say and left us alone, I finally looked up. I knew I looked annoyed. But Keegan was smiling. Of course, what else would he be doing?

  "You planned that, didn't you? Are you trying to embarrass the *cuss* out of me?"

  "Hé," he pointed, a bit more serious.

  "Sorry, but I think that was a bit unnecessary," I said in a huff.

  "C’est vrai?" He chuckled. He punctuated his point by touching my clenched fist. I didn't even realize I was keeping it tight.

  I released my hand and looked out the window. "Shut up."

  "Comment était le dîner?" He asked, pointing to my plate. I hadn't even realized I almost finished my food off.

  I felt my face flush again and I looked away. "Shut up."

  "Mm-hm." There was motion from his end of the table, but I was determined to ignore him. I was succeeding, until he sampled his food. He moaned in delight and threw himself into a mini victory dance. He knew I was watching. You can't ignore that. But after two seconds of his savory victory, he paused and stared at me wide eyed from the side of his face, as
if somehow I caught him in the middle of something. Why is he so weird?!

  I lowered my mouth behind my folded hands to hide my amusement. But just as always, he caught my own smile.

  "Ah! Le voilà!" He teased and pointed at me.

  "You know what I'm going to say next..." I uttered.

  "Oh?"

  "Shut up." Only problem is this time I couldn't say it without laughing. I laughed? What's wrong with me?

  "And here is your check. How would you like to pay tonight?" Our perky waiter slipped in.

  My only response was to hold up a very unique silvery card. The waiter plucked it from my fingers and left with a quick, "thank you!"

  Keegan raised an eyebrow at the item I produced. "It's just a card, Keegan."

  Typing. "What kind of card?"

  I looked up from over the edge of laptop at him. "You're not supposed to pick up on that."

  He held a hand out as if expecting an explanation. I sighed and lowered my head into my hand. Should I tell him?

  "Existential Expense Coverage. It's a fancy way of saying that the government feels bad for everything that happened to me, and that they will pay for any expense I incur as a sort of reimbursement."

  Keegan sat back, with a look of amazement. He filled his cheeks and blew out a long sigh.

  "...what's wrong now?"

  "Tu es riche?"

  I narrowed my eyes while my mouth tried to decipher his words. If I understand, then...

  Typing. He asked, "So you are rich?"

  I felt a part of me go into hiding from him. "...maybe. Why?" I asked bluntly.

  "The richest person in the world maybe?" He typed.

  I felt my face darken.

  "You are the most special person I know. You don't even act like a rich person," he finally typed.

  I scanned him for a moment, trying to discern his intentions. I only let out a short, "...hm."

  "And here you are. Everything is set. Let me know if you need anything before you leave. And thanks again a ton for playing that song. That was SO much fun." The waiter made his last comment through clenched teeth.

  After his dismissal, Keegan typed one last message as we rose to leave.

  "May I walk you home?" What kind of offer? We already have to go to the same place. Is he trying to get me to dismiss the whole "rich" comment? I'm onto you now.