BOOK 1: SERENDIPITY / CH. 25:IVAN IS UNDONE

FRIDAY AFTERNOON

[Karen, how are you?]

[Hi Kate, they're a bit confused about why I'm not screaming, but I feel fine.]

[That's good. So no one asked any questions at all?]

[No. Arnold went a bit loopy, declaring mind readers to all be devil worshippers. So I guess they didn't want to make it look like they were starting a witch-hunt.]

[Oh, so no romance there then?]

[Ah no, Kate. You were right. Plenty of sane eligible men in church.]

[Sorry for going on about it, dear, just that I spent more than half my life pining after a Mr. Right who was a nasty piece of work really. Wouldn't want you to be wrapped up with someone like that.]

[I do feel sorry for Teresa though.]

[How come?]

[Oh, sorry. Arnold's her little brother. She took the full brunt of his attack.]

[Poor woman.]

[Yes.]

[Do you have any relatives we could contact for you? Anyone who should know you're in hospital?]

[No one close. My parents work abroad. But, oh. My wrist unit. If I'm here for days without answering, they might worry.]

[Should we just send them a message?]

[Yes, please.]

[OK, you dictate it, and I'll send it.]

[Thanks, Kate. Or actually, should I ask the hospital to, it's going to take less explaining?]

[You're probably right. OK, we'll leave that. Now, can you tell me what you're studying, so I can work out what to put you down as on this clearance form? And then when you've done that I'd like to know just what you were doing down that tunnel!]

[Urm, I've mainly been studying geology, Kate.]

[Ooh, that's going to be tricky. Any sub-fields or other subjects that you could develop a passion for, a little closer to our work here?]

[I'm not sure. What do you do?]

Kate ran through the different fields they traditionally worked in. Counselling, mental stability assessments, brain function study, medical imaging (of brains). Then there was the support side, book-keeping, PR, writing reports. Sarah was their computer person.

[I'm stumped, Kate. None of that sounds like me. I'm sorry.]

[Oh well, failing anything else there's cleaning.]

[With a broken leg? I'm not sure it's possible.]

[There's always helping in the garden, I guess.]

[I love gardening, but with a broken leg? I don't know, Kate. I mean the only thing I have in common with you is this gift. I'd love to be able to dig into it and find out how it works, but if I need a cover story, I don't know. I've done some courses in theology and in ethics, but I want to find things out, Kate. I don't mind getting my hands dirty or messing about with equipment, but I'm not an expert in anything you work with.]

[What sort of equipment, are we talking excavators or electronics?]

[Oh, electronics, signal processing, that sort of thing.]

[Oh, Karen, I'm sorry, I guess I didn't say. The brain function study and imaging. It's not just a machine we plug people into. It's cutting edge research. Holes in the lab floor from dropped soldering irons, strange bubbling vats of liquid nitrogen or something. And lots and lots of signals to process.]

[Hey, that sounds fun!]

[Why don't I send Ivan and Horrace to chat to you. Hmm, I'd better send Janet too, to keep them in line.]

[Keep them in line?]

[Well, if you think the hospital would like their equipment taken apart from curiosity we could leave Janet out of it...]

[They sound like fun people, but let's keep Janet.]

[They don't have great social skills, but Ivan's not bad at macabre jokes. He and Janet might be drifting towards romance, by the way, and Horrace is roughly my age.]

[That doesn't help me much, Kate, since we've never met.]

[Sorry. Put it down to impending senility. I've been working here for 25 years dear, after getting my doctorate.]

[Ah. Kate, why do you keep going on about romance? I mean, it seems like every time we talk about men the topic crops up. I'm not a desperate old maid yet.]

[I'm sorry, Karen. I'm not desperate either. It's just that I recently met an old friend from my college days, who's declared his intent to woo me. So I've got romance on the brain and I'm remembering how it was to be young.]

[Ooh, that's sweet. Do I get the full story some time?]

[If you like, but sorry if I keep going on about it. It wouldn't have ended well back when we were young anyway, but now we're both Christians, well, we'll see. But have you any idea how long they’re keeping you in?]

[I don't know. They've x-ray'd me, but no one's told me what the results say, or said what they need to do yet.]

[So have they put you in a ward yet, or are you still being pushed from one place to another?]

[Oh, I'm sort of parked near the x-ray machine. All they've said so far was “That's odd. “]

[Be a patient patient, Karen, I'd better go round up the interview committee.]

[I'll let you know what happens.]

[Thanks.]

----------------------------------------

“Hello, Karen, can you tell me how you got this injury?” the doctor asked.

“I was advised by a stupid psych-counsellor program that I should go exploring down a tunnel in order to conquer my fear of dark places. I got lost, panicked and fell.”

“And this was this morning sometime?”

“Yes.”

“And I understand that an army search and rescue team found you, splinted your leg and brought you out?”

“Yes. Urm, I don't want them to get in trouble, but they were sure it was an exercise, so they left the med-kit about half-way. They improvised a splint from some pieces of wood and some belts for the first part. Then at the med-kit they gave me a dose of what they said was anti-inflammatories and switched splints.”

“OK, and did you have any loss of feeling with the improvised splint?”

“Yes. Then they released the belts a bit and it really really hurt. But then the pain faded when they put the other splint on.”

“And can you feel this?” he poked her toe with a probe.

“Yes.”

“And this?” A different probe, a different toe.

“That's cold.”

“And this?”

“Hot.”

“And this?” he touched her big toe.

“Aaagh!”

“Sorry. I prodded a bit hard for that one. OK, Karen, you've got a broken fibula — that's the one which doesn't carry your weight, about which you should be very happy — and a partly broken big toe too. Normally we'd need to pull your fibula back into place, but it seems to have already happened. I guess it was when they swapped splints on you or adjusted the first splint. So we're going to put your leg in a cast and once that's set we'll lend you a pair of crutches and send you home.”

“That's great. I was expecting a week's stay or something.”

“So was I, to be honest, but you're one lucky lady. You should be out of here by about six pm. No putting weight on that leg for quite a while though. We'll arrange some check-ups, but I expect you're going to be in plaster for around a month.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

[Kate! They want to let me out at about six tonight.]

[That's great. We'd like to meet you in person, so how about we pick you up from the hospital and get John to make pizzas?]

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

[John's pizza is famous in the church, it sounds great!]

[OK, I'll arrange things.]

----------------------------------------

[John, Sarah, is pizza tonight OK? I've just promised Karen. No pressure at all, you understand!]

[That's fine, Kate. Where?]

[I think here, that way we can let her drool over Ivan's lab. I think he's about to get a partner in tinkering, at least ‘till term starts.]

[He'll be happy.]

[We'll need to get her clearance of course, but hopefully it won't take too long.]

----------------------------------------

FRIDAY 5:30PM

John and Sarah met Karen as she came out of the hospital on crutches. He recognized her as one of the students he hadn't talked to much. She'd only ever been in the mornings, so hadn't really met Sarah yet — she escaped the crowd by leaving as the last hymn finished.

“Hi, Karen, I don't think we've ever met properly. It's good to put a face to the voice.”

“Hi, Sarah. Thank you, I owe you guys my life.”

“That seems to be catching,” John said. “I owe Sarah my life too.”

“And I owe John my sanity, so we're even. Can we move, John, it's noisy.”

“Of course, love. You find peace, I'll guide you.” And so, looking like the happy couple they were, John held Sarah's waist and she put her head on his shoulder. If someone had observed closely they'd have noticed that Sarah's eyes were not focussed, and that John's hold on her was more guiding than romantic. Karen noticed and asked, “Is Sarah all right?”

“Yes, just it's better if she avoids crowds. This is near her limit.”

“I've never seen her after church. Is this why?”

“Yes, I'll explain later. Here's the right transport.”

It was a special one, with seats that rotated to the door, so it was easy for Karen to get in. John gave the computer the address, and Sarah returned, refreshed and rested from her time knowing peace.

[We don't usually speak about the gifts where we might be overheard, Karen, transports included,] John thought. [It's safer. Also it's less obvious if we don't sit in silence.] “How's your leg feeling?”

[That makes sense,] Karen replied. “It aches, and itches under the cast. I was warned about that. It also feels warm. I guess that's the chemistry happening.”

“Exothermic reaction?” Sarah asked. “That makes sense, I suppose.”

“Yes. No one warned me, but yes, it makes sense.”

“If you both say so. I'm not a physical scientist,” John conceded.

“So they just checked you over and encased you in, what is it, nano-tube cloth?” Sarah asked.

“Yes, I thought it would be fibreglass or kevlar but those are old fashioned and too heavy, apparently.”

“Wow. And to think they used to use gypsum. That must have been really heavy!” John remarked.

“Yes, but I'm sure it was easier. They had to do something like eight processes to get this to bond. We did some gypsum art-work at school and it was just a case of get it wet and slap it on.”

“Oh well. Such is progress,” Sarah sighed.

“I'm thankful for some of it,” John said, tapping his leg. “This was only just off the prototype bench.”

“I've just realised, you two are both famous, aren't you.”

“Oh don't, please,” Sarah said.

[Last thing we want is for hoards of press to turn up at our wedding,] John added.

[Follow the happy couple on their honeymoon with twenty-four hour pictures from our exclusive spy helicopter,] came Sarah's sarcastic thought.

[They wouldn't, surely?]

[I'm not certain,] John thought, [but they've been pretty intrusive in the past. That's another reason for not publishing yet before the wedding, isn't it, love? The press are bound to put the Institute under siege.]

[Hmm. But I do wonder if we should postpone the wedding, John. Without a working tiara, or equivalent, I'm not going to be able to function. We're making progress, but it seems so slow!]

[Oh love, please, we've been through this before. And we should be talking too.] “Karen, tell us about yourself. What are your hopes and dreams?”

“Hopes and dreams all came to an end down that tunnel, I think. I'd roughly got my life worked out, I thought, but then facing death, they seemed so trivial. I think I'm going to rip those plans up and start again.”

“So what were they?” [Can't have all been silly, surely? Or does the gift change things so much?]

“Well, firstly I was gong to finally conquer my fear of dark places. That's what the tunnel was about. Then I was going to join the pot-holing society. I wanted to see geology in action, you know. But it was just so silly. You can see geology in action above ground just as easily. Then, please don't tell Kate, I planned to find a husband in the next three years and have babies. I don't know how many. I also stupidly imagined that my husband would be strong and caring and morally upright and love to play with the kids and that we'd go camping together and find all sorts of strange new geology together. But really, can you imagine taking kids on a field expedition? Or writing up papers with kids demanding attention? It was just all silly dreams.”

“Why 'don't tell Kate'? Is she match-making again?”

“Not so much match-making but warning me off unsuitable men as though I was going to fling myself at any who pass.”

“Ah. That's at least different to what she did with us, isn't it, love?”

“Just slightly. How did it go? ‘You're doomed, doomed, I tell you, to fall in love.’ I think she'd say predestined now, of course.”

“Well, I'm pretty happy about this doom, what about you, love?” and he enfolded her in his arms. [{love}]

“Hmm.” [{love}] “Just don't get too silly now, John. You're going to embarrass Karen.” [Not to mention start feedback.]

[Feedback?] thought Karen.

John unwrapped his arms from Sarah.

“Sorry, Karen.” [Side effect of sharing the gift and being in love,] he thought. [If we get too close, we respond to the other's feelings and the feelings get stronger. Just a variation on normal limits to intimacy before the wedding.]

“So, you think that if Kate knew you'd been dreaming of babies...” Sarah started.

“Then she'd be even more the watchful chaperone, yes.” Karen said.

[So why do you want to postpone our wedding?] John asked Sarah silently.

[Fear, I guess.]

[Let's seek peace over it then, my love.]

They took Sarah's fears to the ocean of peace, and let the gentle waters wash it away.

They became aware that Karen had also joined them.

[Welcome, Karen.] Sarah said. [There is no better place to unload your fears and worries, and also there is healing here if you over-tax your mind.]

[I know the first, but overtaxing your mind?]

[We can talk of it later,] John thought. [Just heal for a while, Karen, we'll watch for when we arrive.]

John and Sarah returned to the mundane world in time to see that they were almost there. They’d come faster than they'd expected.

[Karen, we're here already, sorry.]

They helped her out of the transport and she looked at the building and the gardens in front. “Ooh, nice place you work at.”

“Just our little office. Lots of history to it if you're into that sort of thing. The Institute's been going about two centuries. Come on in.”

“Hey, familiar security system, just like we had where I used to live,” Karen said, then went red.

“Really?” John exclaimed “Sounds like you've got some history to share with us too then.”

“Urm, maybe. Shouldn't have said that. Security blunder.”

“It's probably OK, Karen. I suspect we've got clearance, but you get us checked on and we'll get you checked on, and then we can see if we can talk to each other.”

Karen laughed, “OK, it's a deal!”

“Come and meet Kate and the others, and we'll start on the pizzas.”

Ivan came along the corridor just then. “Hello, you're Karen?” he held out his hand and when she shook it he thought in a tone fit for the mad scientist in a horror movie, [Do you want to see my lair, little pretty?]

Karen dropped his hand in shock, and he said, “Oops, sorry. That was meant to be a joke.”

“Ivan, what did you do to her?” demanded Sarah.

“I just offered to show her the lab.”

“In your mad scientist voice, perchance?” asked John.

“Guilty.”

Sarah thought to Karen, [Sorry, Karen, we should have warned you. He's really perfectly safe to be around.]

[Are you sure? There was a lot of leer in that offer.]

“Ivan, if you've frightened Karen off, then Kate's going to eat you for breakfast,” Sarah warned. “Now apologise properly.”

“I'm sorry, Karen. I've been practising that voice for years. I didn't mean anything by it. Really. You can scan me if you like.”

“Um, I don't know how.”

[Like this, Karen, {image} focus on him rather than on peace, but never spend long looking — you can overheat your brain. I almost killed myself by watching Teresa for fifteen seconds before we worked that out.]

Karen relaxed and focussed on Ivan. He was indeed full of remorse. His failed attempt at humour had been an attempt to make her feel at home, nothing more. He wasn't at all attracted to her, he had his sights firmly set on Janet, but that was supposed to be a secret.

“OK, Ivan, I'll forgive you. Your secret's safe too.”

Ivan held his head dramatically in his hands and proclaimed in a loud voice, “Oh no, she saw! I am undone, undone, I am discovered!”

Janet stuck her head round her door.

“Ivan, what's got into you? You're acting even weirder than normal! Oh hi, you're Karen? I'm Janet.”

“Yes, I'm, Karen. Ivan here welcomed me with the scariest thought I've heard yet, and in apology he told me to scan him.”

“I am undone, my secret love is known!” Ivan repeated. It was his coping mechanism, to turn deeply personal feelings into what others could think of as a joke.

“I guess Karen saw more than Ivan wanted her to, Janet,” Sarah said meaningfully.

“Ivan. Come here, I want to talk to you,” Janet said softly.

“I ... I might not be undone?” Ivan asked with amazement.

“Let's go and find Kate,” John said. [Ivan's been really obvious about how he feels for Janet for weeks, Karen, but we guess she wanted him to actually come out and say it.]

[So that bit of ham acting was his way of doing it?]

[That was pure Ivan, yes.]

[Odd people you have round here. I might fit in.]

[Ivan's a real genius at electronics, a born clown, but rather lacking in people skills.]

[I noticed.] They entered the meeting room.

“Karen, welcome! I thought Ivan would give you a tour of the labs first,” Kate greeted her.

“Urm, yes, he sort of offered.”

“And being Ivan, he did it in horror film style which was a bit too much for Karen's nerves,” Sarah expanded. “In apology he let Karen scan him.”

“But he wasn't just thinking of Karen by then, so after some pure Ivan melodrama, he and Janet are having a little chat.”

“Oh at last! I hope they don't end up breaking up though, imagine Ivan with a broken heart!”

“I think they know each other pretty well, Kate. There shouldn't be too many surprises.”

“True. Sorry, Karen, all this isn't exactly relevant for you, is it?”

“Well, it is if I'm going to be working with Ivan. Who was the other man you mentioned?”

“Horrace. Yes, let's go and find him. John and Sarah, you don't need us for the pizzas, do you?”

“No, but if you could get some requests for the toppings, that'd be great.”

“Well, you know what I like. Karen?”

“Urm, what's on offer?”

Sarah checked the tubs they'd brought. “Today's menu includes ham, pineapple, salami, anchovies, capers, olives, onion, garlic, urm spicy chicken? — John where did you get this? It looks like the remains of the thoughtful chicken.”

“Oops. It might be. I found it in the freezer.”

“Well we'll keep that for the marrieds then. Kate, Karen, keep well clear of it.”

“Why?” Karen asked, intrigued.

“It amplifies empathy. You'll end up feeling everyone's emotions.”

“Arwood's mum gave my mum the recipe. We haven't asked why but I guess it was so Dad could have a taste of the gift.”

“Shouldn’t we be finding out how it works?” Kate asked.

“I don't think most people would be willing test subjects, Kate.” John replied, somewhat embarrassed. “The time it's reputed to work isn't one most

couples would want to be wired into a machine or observed.”

“Oh,” Karen blushed too.

“And this came from Arwood's mother?” Kate asked.

“Yes, Mama Ng, as everyone in the family calls her, apparently.”

“That name rings a bell,” Kate said. “That name certainly rings a bell. I read it somewhere.”

“If it was a recipe, watch out!” laughed Sarah.

“No, I think it was one of those unconfirmed reports.”

“Subject refused testing?” John clarified.

“Yes.”

“I'm lost,” Karen and Sarah both said at once.

“We sometimes run adverts, or used to. ‘Have you or do you know someone who has exceptional mental abilities?’ that sort of thing,” John said. “And then we'd get deluged with hoax claims, circus tricksters and con artists who didn't stand up to ten seconds of scrutiny,” Kate continued. “It was such a distraction that I decided we'd only do it once a decade. But sometimes we'd also get respectful letters telling about someone who just might have been for real, but of course wouldn't be seen dead flaunting their ability.”

“And then someone would go on a wild goose chase trying to make contact and failing,” John said. “I did it a few times, I remember, the person was never in, or they wouldn't open the door.”

“Like they knew who was knocking?” Karen asked.

“Yes,” John answered.

“So, who do we send to talk to Mama Ng?” Kate asked.

“Maybe Sarah and I should, through Arwood or Hannah.”

“Yes, she's not going to slam the door in their faces is she?” Kate surmised.

“Oh, I don't know, she's quite the traditional matriarch,” John said. “I remember her saying once that she won't go to Sunday church because it's too full of noisy people. But she doesn't get out now anyway.” He realised what he'd just said. “Oh no! Sarah, do you think...?”

“I think I definitely need to go visiting. John, you go call Arwood, I'll start on the pizzas, OK?”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Kate agreed, “and I'll take Karen to find Horrace in the lab.”