Blind

by Francine Pascal

  Inside, the building seemed much newer and larger than she had expected. The hallway was very wide, very bright, and very, very long. The floor and walls were both clean and almost spotless white. There were a few abstract paintings hung along the walls to give a hint of color. The lights were… Heather couldn’t see any lights anywhere. There just was light, as if the walls and floor and ceiling were all putting off their own illumination. The corridor stretched out ahead, white and empty and apparently endless.

  “This place is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside,” said Heather.

  Josh stepped past her with a laugh. “That’s just an illusion, but it is way large. Come on. You haven’t seen anything yet.”

  They walked on down the hallway. Heather’s heels clicked against the tiled floor. After what seemed to Heather like at least another two blocks of walking, they came at last to a series of ordinary wooden doors. Josh didn’t hesitate—he walked up to one of the doors and pushed it open. This time Heather followed him into a room that was large, but not huge. It was obviously a lab of some sort. Several people dressed in white coats were working at computers. There were benches covered in gleaming glassware and instruments with the soft sheen of brushed stainless steel.

  That Josh would bring her to a lab was strange enough. Stranger was that the lab was also full of animals. In Plexiglas cages Heather could see dogs of all sizes, cats of all colors, and even some tiny monkeys with fierce, angry expressions on their small, white-furred faces.

  Heather spun slowly around. “What is this place?”

  “This is where I work,” said Josh.

  “Work? I thought you went to school.”

  “I do. Sometimes.” Josh held up one hand and waved to a man across the room. “Dr. Glenn!” he called. “This is the girl I was telling you about.”

  Heather looked at Josh and scowled. “Why were you telling someone about me?” she asked in a low voice. “What were you telling him?”

  “All good things, naturally,” said Josh.

  An older man in an open white coat approached from across the room. He had a short salt-and-pepper beard, a round, friendly face, and pale blue eyes behind thick wire-frame glasses. “Hello,” he said. “I’m glad you agreed to come in to see us.”

  The man held out his hand. Heather let go of Josh’s arm long enough to shake the man’s hand. Despite his broad smile, Heather still felt afraid. “I don’t even know where here is.”

  The man with the beard seemed startled. “Josh, didn’t you tell your friend about us?”

  Josh gave a little wince. “Actually, I wanted her to be surprised.”

  “Hmmph.” The man shook his head. “I’ll bet she is surprised, but I wouldn’t doubt that she’s also a bit frightened.” He turned back to Heather, his smile wider than ever. “I’m Dr. Edward Glenn.”

  “Heather Gannis, nice to meet you,” Heather said automatically. “Is someone going to tell me where I am?”

  “This place is called IKOL,” the doctor replied. “We do medical work on a private grant.”

  “Oh,” said Heather. The answer was a little comforting but still confusing. Why would Josh want to bring her to this place? “What kind of medical work do you do?”

  Josh stepped around Dr. Glenn. “Only the coolest kind,” he said. “Come and see.”

  Heather followed the two men to the other side of the lab. In between a pair of glowing computer screens was a set of small, transparent boxes. The left box held a little cat, hardly more than a kitten. The right box held two tiny white mice. The center box was empty except for a screen of white material that ran down the center.

  “Prepare to be amazed,” said Josh. “Step one, the predator” He popped open the first box and took out the cat. He gave its fur a quick stroke, then lowered it into the box. “And now the prey.” This time Josh went for the mice. It took him a few tries, but after a moment he had both of the white mice in his hands. He dropped them into the center box with the cat but on the other side of the screen.

  Josh turned around and raised his eyebrows. “Okay,” he said. “Here comes a miracle.” He put a hand to the screen.

  “Wait!” Heather grabbed for his arm. “If you take that out, the cat will eat them.”

  “There’s a glass plate,” said Josh. He put his knuckles inside the box and rapped on the invisible barrier. “The mice are safe.”

  Quickly he moved his hand back to the screen and whipped it upward. The cat spotted the mice instantly. It jumped forward, its Claws slashing against the glass and a low rumble pouring from its throat.

  On the other side of the barrier the mice had seen the cat as well. One of the mice ran for the far end of the box. It scrambled to get up the wall, slipped, tried again, then ran madly around the box, looking for an escape. The other mouse didn’t move.

  “Well,” said Josh. “What do you think?”

  Heather shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “What am I supposed to think?”

  Josh reached into the box and snatched up the mouse that was running madly. He held the little rodent out toward Heather. “See how fast this guy is breathing? He’s terrified.”

  Heather didn’t appreciate having the animal so close to her face, but she nodded. “Of course he’s scared. The cat’s about to eat the poor thing.”

  “The cat’s not going to eat him,” said Josh. “The glass keeps him safe. The mouse is just afraid the cat will get him.”

  “So?”

  “So look at the other mouse.” Josh plopped the panicked mouse back into its original box and pointed at the second mouse.

  The second mouse seemed absolutely calm. It sat only an inch from the glass where the cat clawed and scratched, but it made no move to run.

  Heather leaned over the glass and looked at it. The mouse certainly appeared to see the cat; it just didn’t seem to care. “What’s wrong with it?” she asked.

  “Nothing’s wrong with it,” said Josh. “Something’s right with it.”

  “Did you tranquilize it?”

  Josh shook his head. “It’s fully awake. Fully aware. It’s just not afraid.”

  Heather thought for a moment. “How can it not be afraid?”

  Dr. Glenn stepped forward. “That’s the breakthrough we’ve been working on. We’ve isolated a neurotransmitter called GABA. It’s a chemical in the brain that acts to regulate anxiety. We’ve learned how to modify the operation of this transmitter.” He tapped the glass beside the mouse. “This little fellow is the culmination of years of work. Absolutely fearless.”

  “Fearless,” Heather repeated. She looked at the mouse. So tiny, but unafraid. “If it’s fearless, won’t it just walk off the table or something like that and get hurt?”

  “It’s not insensible,” said Dr. Glenn. “Its reasoning is completely unimpaired. In fact, you might say that this animal is thinking more clearly than it ever has before. Its thinking is unclouded by unreasonable fears and nervousness.”

  Josh put a hand on the doctor’s shoulder. “You think I could talk to Heather alone for a few minutes? I’d like to explain to her what comes next.”

  Dr. Glenn nodded. “Of course, of course.” He straightened up and looked at Heather. “Very nice to meet you, Ms. Gannis. I hope we’ll be seeing you again soon.”

  Heather stared at the man’s back as Dr. Glenn walked away, then she spun around to face Josh. “What’s going on here? Why did you tell him about me? What do you mean, ‘what comes next’? Why are you showing me these things?”

  “It’s a little hard to explain.” Josh leaned against the counter and reached down to stroke the trapped cat. “You remember me telling you that I knew Gaia?”

  “Gaia?” Heather clenched her teeth. Does every conversation have to be about Gaia? “Did you bring her here first?”

  “Not exactly.” Josh gave the cat another stroke, and it leaned against his hand. “Look, you like Gaia, don’t you?”

  “Like her!” Heather rolled her eyes. “Why wo
uld I like Gaia? She’s ruined everything since she got here.”

  “But you like her, anyway. And you hate her. That’s the thing, see—no matter how irritating Gaia is, she’s still fascinating. Right?”

  “I don’t—”

  “Come on. Tell the truth.”

  Heather shook her head rapidly, sending her dark hair flying. “I don’t like her. Not exactly.”

  “Maybe it’s more like you’re jealous of her,” suggested Josh.

  Heather glared at him and stood up straighten There had been very few turns on the way to this place. She was sure that she could find her way back home without Josh, and she was ten seconds away from leaving. She didn’t like the way this conversation was going at all. “You think I should be jealous of Gaia?”

  “No.”

  “You think she’s smarter than I am?”

  “No.”

  “Prettier?”

  “Absolutely not.” Josh stopped stroking the cat and folded his arms across his chest. “But there’s one thing that Gaia has that you don’t. It’s the one thing that makes her so attractive. It’s the reason that Gaia is always at the center of things.”

  Heather narrowed her eyes. “She’s certainly become the center of this conversation.” She paused for a moment, then she nodded. “All right. What is it? What makes Gaia so special?”

  “She’s fearless.”

  It took a few seconds for the words to process through Heather’s mind. When they did, her eyes went wide. Thinking back, it made sense. “You mean, like the mouse… Did she take something?”

  Josh picked up a folder from the table and opened it. Inside was a picture of a young girl. Blue-eyed, with blond hair chopped off at chin length. Despite the rounded, baby-fat face Heather had no trouble telling that this was a picture of a very young Gaia Moore. “When Gaia was only a couple of years old,” said Josh, “her father injected her with a prototype of the fearless serum. It was dangerous; I can’t even tell you how dangerous. The serum hadn’t been perfected or tested. It could have done anything. It could have left Gaia permanently damaged. It might have killed her.”

  Heather took the picture from Josh’s hand and looked down at the chubby cheeks of little Gaia Moore. “But it worked.”

  “That’s right,” said Josh. “It worked. Ever since that day Gaia has been completely, totally without fear.”

  A thousand moments went through Heather’s mind. She could remember a lot of times when Gaia seemed angry. A few times when she seemed nice. But she couldn’t think of one time when Gaia had been really worried or afraid. Could it be true? “Fearless.” The word felt strange in her mouth.

  “Think of it.” Josh took both of Heather’s hands in his own. “Never having to be afraid.” The idea was almost too fantastic to believe. When Heather stopped to think about her life, it was hard to think of a moment when she wasn’t afraid. Afraid she wouldn’t fit in or wouldn’t get a good grade. Afraid she wouldn’t get into a good college. Afraid she would.

  Afraid that Gaia Moore would steal any guy Heather so much as looked at twice.

  People thought Heather was perfect, that she had everything, but they didn’t realize how hard she worked to create and maintain that façade.

  She looked up at Josh. “I still don’t understand why you brought me here.”

  “I brought you here because I like you.” He squeezed her hands. “And because I wanted to give you a gift.”

  “Gift?”

  Josh nodded. “It was dangerous when Gaia’s father gave her the serum, but that’s not true anymore. A lot of people have been working on this thing for more than a decade. It’s been tested in every way you can imagine. It’s completely safe.”

  “Safe for people?”

  “Yeah. Safe for people.”

  “Like me?”

  “That’s why you’re here.” Josh leaned in close, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “Let me give you the same advantage that Gaia has over everyone else. Let me make you free. Let me make you fearless.”

  Unseen People

  GAIA SAT ON A LOW STONE BENCH half a block from the United Nations building and clenched her jaw against the cold. There were still lights in a a handful of the monolith’s offices. Gaia wondered if Natasha was in one of them, still translating speeches or documents for the Russian government. Gaia didn’t have a watch on, but she knew it was getting late. She yawned. This was worse than marching around on mugger patrol. At least on patrol Gaia stayed warm and there was some chance of a little entertainment. The only thing she was getting by sitting around on this bench was a frozen butt.

  She was beginning to wonder if she had misunderstood the directions when a gray Mercedes sedan pulled over to the curb. The power window slid down smoothly.

  “Hurry,” George Niven said from inside the car. “Get in.”

  Gaia scrambled off the bench and into the car. The sedan was rolling even before she got her door shut. They moved out into traffic, made a quick left-hand turn, and headed toward Midtown at axle-breaking speed.

  George glanced at the rearview mirror. “I don’t think we’re being followed, but I can’t be sure.”

  “Followed?” Gaia twisted around and looked out the back window. She saw a lot of headlights back there. Exactly how did you figure out which ones were after you? “You think some of Loki’s people were following you when you picked me up?”

  “No.” George shook his head. “I’m fairly certain that they don’t care about me. It’s you they were after.”

  “Me?” Gaia stared at the headlights. “I was all alone back there. No one was around.”

  “These people are professionals, Gaia. You wouldn’t see them if they didn’t want to be seen.”

  The whole idea that she was being followed by these unseen people was way weird. “How did they find me? I came straight here when I found your note. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going.”

  George glanced over at her. “They know where you’re staying. They’ve been following you frequently. Most of the time, in fact.”

  “For how long?”

  “Weeks. Months. Maybe longer.” George turned his attention back to the road as he turned onto Broadway. “The information I’ve collected shows that you’ve rarely been out of their sight.”

  Gaia might not be able to feel fear, but this information made her feel like she had swallowed a bowling ball. They had been watching her. Had they seen her fights in the park? Where had they been, standing back in the trees? When she had fallen unconscious from exhaustion, had they timed how long she lay on the ground? If what George said was true, then these people knew her every weakness. They knew what she was capable of, and they knew all the people who mattered to her. She had been right to stay away from Ed. If these people were watching, then there was no doubt they had already seen Gaia and Ed together. If she could convince them that she didn’t care about Ed anymore, then Ed would be safe.

  George might not have the evidence, but she was ready to convict. If these people had been watching her all that time, then every terrible thing that had happened was their fault. They had a lot of blood on their hands. “Do you think this is all part of Loki’s organization?” she asked finally, breaking the silence.

  George nodded without turning away from the window. “I can’t establish that for sure, but it’s likely.”

  Gaia considered this for a moment, then went on. “I think I have an idea.”

  “What?”

  “A few days ago I sent my uncle an e-mail.”

  George turned around quickly. “You did what?”

  “I sent him an e-mail. I wanted to know where my father was.”

  George had a disturbed look on his face. “Gaia, you have to be more careful in the future. If your uncle is involved with these activities against your father, you could be putting yourself into terrible danger by making contact.”

  “What danger?” said Gaia. “If those bozos are watching me every minute, I’m already in about as much
danger as I can get. Anyway, the e-mail was part of the plan.”

  George looked like he was about to issue another warning, but he stopped. “What plan??” he asked. “What is this idea of yours?”

  “I want to arrange a meeting with my uncle. Drag him out in the open and trap him.”

  “Trap him how?” asked George.

  “I don’t know that part yet.” Gaia pushed her hair back from her face and looked out at the people passing by on the sidewalk. “He must be wanted for something….”

  “Yes…,” George said slowly. “I think you could say that the intelligence community would like to have a very long discussion with Mr. Loki.”

  Gaia nodded. “Then that’s it. I arrange for a meeting with my uncle. You arrange to have the CIA standing by.” With that, Gaia put her hand on the door handle and started to get out of the car.

  George leaned across the seat and grabbed her left arm. “Wait!” he said. “There’s something else I need to talk to you about.”

  Gaia eased back into her seat. “What?”

  “Remember when I told you that someone your father trusts is passing his information on to Loki?”

  “That doesn’t worry me,” Gaia said. “My father doesn’t trust anybody.”

  George pressed his lips into a thin line. “He trusts Natasha enough to watch his only daughter.”

  Gaia stared at him. “You think Natasha is a spy for Loki?”

  “We’re not sure,” George said with a shrug. “However, she seems to be the most likely candidate.” His expression softened. “Gaia, come back with me. I’ll keep you safe until we can think of the next move.”

  “No.” Gaia put her hand to the door again, and this time she climbed out before George could make any move to stop her. She leaned back through the door. “You get ready to take down Loki. I have to keep an eye on Natasha. If she really is a spy, I’ll find out.” She closed the door of the sedan and walked quickly away.