When the Gamma burns like the sun…

Vincent was laying in bed, having just come back from evening meal. It had been a difficult day. He was still exhausted from last night’s exploits, but forced himself to go to class and behave as normally as possible. This was even more challenging when all anyone wanted to talk about was the explosions all over campus.

As usual, the faculty didn’t bother telling the students anything, so rumors were everywhere. The prevailing theory was that a student had Manifested explosive powers then tried to escape. No one knew any details since everyone had been confined to windowless dorms, but that didn’t stop the wild, wild speculation.

Vincent had connected with Danny, of course, who fortunately was himself again. While it had taken a long time for his friend to fall asleep, his form had actually destabilized fairly soon after leaving. Back in his own body, his fun-loving nature had reasserted itself, and Danny was eagerly looking forward to exploring his new powers.

He’d get his chance.

Vincent was waiting for the crew to show up to give their updates on the plan, and with his mind less scrambled he was considering everything that had happened the previous day. He’d gone through so much in such a short time that he still felt overwhelmed.

From learning about Last Chance Row, and the torturous future that so many students had in store for them, to ultimately causing the death of both an enraged super and a greedy old tech, it was too much to process right away. Instead he settled his mind on Danny’s observations about restricted classes.

There was something more here that he had never considered. Staying balanced had been a mantra to Vincent for so long that he hadn’t turned his analytical mind toward the greater questions. What did the Gamma really do, and was it truly the only thing responsible for the fate he and his friends had been trying to avoid?

He’d assumed Gamma’s ability to improve physical traits was at the core of it all. Too much strength and you went out of balance, and going out of balance led to Manifesting. Vincent had seen enough proof of that.

It was also true that there were more strength-supers than any other kind, and that lined up as well. However, there were the occasional aberrations, even outside the NGG programs. It seemed obvious that Lucia’s high empathy had led her down the path to Psychic, and Emi had confessed that above average intellect and ingenuity were likely responsible for her Tech Class.

But where did restricted Classes fit in, and like Danny said: how do you restrict a class? Vincent had been turning the question over in his mind all day, and only had one conclusion: the K-Devices and harnesses somehow controlled which Class you were able to receive.

This was against all the propaganda and even the meager education they received at the farms. The NGG claimed anyone could be any kind of hero, and it was the hard workers and coincidentally the patriotic who received the truly rare and powerful ones. But it seemed like the truth was as insidious as Vincent should have expected.

The New Global Government controlled it all.

Vincent opened his own K-Device, and frowned at the display.

Name: Vincent Villari

Class: Specter [Restricted]

Rank: Initiate 1 [Recently Manifested]

Primary Attribute: Intellect

Unlocked Abilities:

Phantasm (**Rank 2)

Physicality:

* Strength: 11

* Agility: 10 (+1)

* Endurance: 12 (+1)

Mind:

* Intellect: 21

* Empathy: 4

* Ingenuity: 19 (+1)

He was pleasantly surprised to see that his night of mad scrambling and quick thinking had rewarded him with improved attributes. He also seemed to be advancing more easily than he had before gaining a Class, which was as expected, but still appreciated.

That his Phantasm skill had improved was the real news, but his KD had flagged the change in a way he didn’t recognize. Tapping down into the ability, he was disappointed to find that instead of unlocking some powerful new function, he was actually being given a warning.

Warning: ability strain detected. Overuse of abilities while in a [Recently Manifested] state can be damaging. Overall power instability has increased. Time until power stabilization has increased. Please consult a Manifestation Physician for more information.

That was unfortunate. It looked like the farm’s policies about limiting power use after Manifestation wasn’t entirely baseless. Still, it had been worth it, and there didn’t seem to be permanent harm for now. He’d just need to be more careful, and hopefully live a less interesting life for a while after they escaped.

A knock at the door ended his considerations, and with some effort he hauled his bruised and weakened body out of bed. Danny and the two girls came in without a word–the dorm rooms had so much concrete between them that they were essentially soundproof, but they didn’t like to draw attention to their meetings when the thick steel door was open.

It took a minute for everyone to get comfortable in the small room, but eventually they were in their customary spots. Danny was at the desk, the girls were side by side on the bed, and Vincent was at the wall with a marker.

“Can I tell them now?” Danny said with a grin, and Vincent sighed.

“Just wait a few minutes, I don’t want to derail everything, and there’s a lot to talk about,” Emi and Lucia looked suspicious, so Vincent hurried on to forestall the exact derailment he was trying to avoid. “Let’s do our update,” he said, before writing the familiar to-do list on the board.

1. Distraction (Vincent)

2. Escape Method (Danny)

3. Gamma theft (Lucia)

4. Harnesses (Emi)

With some considerable satisfaction–and a bit of theatricality, he admitted to himself–he slowly crossed off ‘Distraction’. He turned back to the room, and saw mixed reactions from the crew. Danny looked back and forth for a moment.

“Um, do we clap?” he asked, and Vincent deflated a little.

“We can hold the applause. The important thing is that I’ve arranged for a distraction. I’ve also confirmed our exit date: we have thirteen days.” This sparked a reaction, as everyone began talking at once. Vincent waved them to quiet, then gestured at Lucia, who appeared the most upset.

“We started with three months, what’s changed? And if we’re pulling in the date, why not pull it in by a few more days to avoid the NGG Psychics?” she asked with obvious annoyance.

“We had three months at most, but we need to get out of here as quickly as possible. Every day that passes increases the chance of something going wrong. As to this particular date, it’s not arbitrary, it’s the only time the distraction is possible.”

It was Emi’s turn to be annoyed, “When are you going to tell us exactly what this distraction is? Why the hell are you being so secretive about it?” Vincent had expected this question, but held some hope it wouldn’t come up. A sigh escaped him.

“I can’t tell you. It’s part of the arrangement I made with the…distraction,” he finished lamely.

“The distraction is a person?” Lucia asked.

“I truly can’t say anything more. We’re all trusting each other with this plan every day, and I need you to trust me with this. As long as we’re on harvester duty in thirteen days with disabled harnesses, there will be an escape window.” Emi and Lucia looked at each other with shared disapproval, but Danny was clearly just waiting for his turn. Not yet, Danny.

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“Okay, thank you. Lucia, we have just over a week before our unwelcome visitors are supposed to arrive, please tell me you have good news,” his sister smiled triumphantly, and even Danny looked curious.

“Oh I have news alright: it was Kristy Woods,” she said, then looked around the room expectantly.

“I really feel like you two want us to clap,” Danny said.

“Seriously, right?” Emi added. “Who knew you two were such divas?”

It was Lucia’s turn to look deflated. “Well, I did solve a crime! And I can actually talk about it,” she added with a pointed look at Vincent. “I thought it was at least worth a ‘good work, Lucia’.” She looked back and forth between Vincent and Emi, who both looked skeptical. Finally she looked at Danny, who gave a confused clap.

Vincent spoke up, “You think it was Kristy Woods who took the Gamma,” he said in a flat, doubting tone.

“Your rival,” Emi added, “And the girl who’s been spreading mean rumors about you.” Her tone was so dry it was practically an accusation, but Vincent knew it needed to be said, and he was a little relieved he hadn’t needed to be the one to say it.

“Well, yes!” Lucia said angrily. “But that has nothing to do with why I think it was–why I know it was her!”

Emi looked at Vincent, an eyebrow raised. “Alright,” Vincent said in what he hoped was a comforting tone. “How did you…figure out it was her?” Lucia looked anything but comforted.

“By doing exactly what you told me to do!” she said with fury. “What happened to trust? Or did you really mean we should all trust you, while the rest of us just fall in line?” Vincent looked around the room for help, but none was forthcoming.

“We trust you, Lucia, but this is a little…coincidental? We just want to understand how Kristy gave herself away,” he said as gently as he was able.

“With her God damned thoughts!” she shouted while standing up from the bed. Uh oh. “I did exactly what you told me to do! I went around using these powers that I hate, and I heard her basically admit it!” Vincent was trying to signal his sister to stop, but he knew it was too late. It took a long pause before Lucia noticed Emi staring at her, mouth hanging open.

“You’re a Psychic?” Emi said in a high pitched voice, and Lucia paled. “I’ve been hanging around with a mind-reader, outlawed by the NGG, and no one thought to tell me that?” she asked, sounding angrier than Lucia had been a moment earlier.

Lucia backed away, horror on her face, and her hand reaching up for her mouth as if to silence herself after the fact. Vincent’s mind raced as he tried to think of how to defuse this situation.

“We didn’t tell you,” Danny said sadly, “because we didn’t want you looking at Lucia exactly the way you are right now.” Somehow that simple statement changed the whole atmosphere in the room, and Emi immediately went from anger to embarrassment.

“Oh…right…I,” she paused, appearing to collect herself. “Look, I’m sorry, Lucia. I can imagine what you’ve been going through, and I’m not some NGG patriot who assumes all Psychics are mind-stealing demons. But everyone keeps talking about trust, and you’ve all been keeping secrets from me.”

No one spoke up immediately, given the fairness of the point, and Emi added to it a moment later. “Not to mention, this secret could get me sent to prison. Everyone who’s ever been stuck in a Power Farm has probably thought about escape before, but hiding a Psychic? Prison might be the lucky outcome.”

“No one is going to prison,” Vincent said definitively, “because no one is getting caught.” Everyone exchanged glances for a moment, but the tension in the room seemed to have lessened. Emi gestured for Lucia to sit back down beside her, and his sister looked grateful.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Emi,” she said. “I promise we were going to, everything is just moving so quickly.”

“We’ll talk about it in our dorm later, without the audience,” Emi replied. Then she looked more serious, “So…you heard Kristy thinking about how she took the Gamma?”

Lucia immediately went back to looking uncomfortable. “Well, not exactly,” she admitted, and the others exchanged looks. “It’s hard to explain, okay? I was…listening, and I heard her think, threats…sort of.” She stood back up, and tried to pace in the tiny room. “It’s so complicated, it’s hard to explain!”

“Try,” Vincent prodded. This was far too important for a hunch…or a grudge. Lucia glared at him.

“She looked right at me and I heard, ‘She knows!’”

“‘She knows’ what?” Danny asked with open confusion.

“She was looking at me, so she was thinking that I know the truth!” Lucia looked around the room expectantly. “The truth that she took the Gamma, obviously!” When everyone still looked skeptical, Lucia balled her firsts and let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a scream.

“You weren’t there! I told you it’s hard to explain,” she said pleadingly. “And then I confronted Elena, who was being totally shifty, and when I mentioned Kristy and sweaters, her thoughts went crazy and she practically ran away!”

Vincent put a finger to his lips, considering. “That’s…something more,” he admitted.

“Yeah, but you don’t get to dramatically cross out your line like Vincent did,” Danny said, shrugging his shoulders.

Vincent sent a quick glare in Danny’s direction, who just smiled back. “We trust you, Lucia, and if you need help, we’re here. Just keep digging, and follow up on your lead. If Kristy took the Gamma, there’s bound to be proof.”

Emi was nodding, “Like a giant bag of Gamma somewhere, sure. Just…you know, don’t give up on other possibilities yet.” Lucia was fuming, but managed a nod.

“Okay!” Danny said brightly. “This feels like a great time to talk about literally anything else, so how about I go next?” Vincent had planned to turn to Emi next, but frankly he agreed with his friend’s assessment.

“Go ahead, Danny,” he said, and the taller boy stepped up strangely close to him. “Um, what are you…” Vincent trailed off as Danny started holding his breath, and his face turned red with strain.

Emi spoke into the awkward near-silence. “Are you two fighting…or do you need some privacy?” Vincent ignored the question, but kept silent when he noticed Danny’s skin begin to ripple and shift. In moments, his friend–several inches taller than him–was eye to eye.

More than that, those eyes were brown and green, like his own. The hair darkened, and the skin tone shifted, and all of sudden he was looking at himself. It was a strange experience, and the image seemed reversed, and slightly off compared to what Vincent was used to from mirrors.

“What the shit!” Emi said, and Lucia said something similar at almost the same time.

“Now someone better clap,” Danny said in Vincent’s voice, then turned and took a bow. When he got back up and saw that the girls looked horrified and Vincent looked disapproving, he looked perplexed. “What?” he asked.

“I meant go ahead and tell them!” Vincent said in disbelief, and he watched his own face take on a look of contrition that he didn’t recognize.

“Oh,” Danny said, looking from one person to the next. “Okay, so cool news everyone, I Manifested! I can make myself into other people!” he said excitedly.

“We can see that, Danny,” Lucia replied in a voice that was both stunned and exhausted.

“I’ve never heard of anyone with that power,” Emi said, looking curious. “Can you turn into anyone? Could you turn into me?”

“I think so?” Danny replied. “This is only my second time, so I’m not sure. Plus I don’t think I’m ready to be a girl yet. It’s crazy enough just being short and less attractive,” Vincent shook his head with disapproval.

“Danny being…Danny aside, this is perfect,” everyone turned their attention back to him, and Vincent suppressed a shudder at seeing himself as part of his own audience. “Emi, I think after some practice, ‘the Dean’ will be ready to help you rob his own office.”

Emi smiled in understanding and Lucia nodded, but the other Vincent just said, “Wait, what?”

***

Lucia tried not to storm out of the room when Vincent announced the meeting was over. She didn’t like to think of herself as someone who lost her cool, or freaked out just because people didn’t agree with her, but she had definitely just done both those things.

It wasn’t normal for her, she assured herself. It was just a perfect storm of bad circumstances. They were right that it felt coincidental. They were right that she had bad blood with Kristy for a long time, and that it had gotten a lot worse after Lucia had Manifested. She also wouldn’t lie to herself and pretend the rumors didn’t bother her.

But even with all that, she wanted to believe that if the–admittedly–flimsy evidence she’d gathered had been found any other way, she would have been able to calmly disagree with them. But it hadn’t been another way, she’d figured it out by being Psychic.

Lucia had grit her teeth and done the last thing on Earth she wanted to do, certainly something she’d spent her whole life despising, and it had worked. It was obvious how powerful and capable Psychics were, and Lucia had a better grasp on that fact than most, but still…part of her didn’t want her Class to be good.

Part of her didn’t want anything redeeming or valuable to come from the thing she shared with her mother.

Then they hadn’t even believed her. They looked at her like she was a little girl in a spat, instead of the Psychic she wanted to be seen as for the first time. She’d lost it, Lucia could admit that to herself, but…that didn’t make her wrong.

They couldn’t understand, and she could barely explain, but she knew what she’d felt. Maybe if she’d been calmer she could have tried to explain further, but then she’d accidentally outed herself to Emi…there was going to be a lot of aftermath to one stupid outburst.

If only she could have made them understand. Yes, the words she heard were…less than compelling proof. But there was so much more to it. She had felt their anxiety. And their shock, and their fear, and their guilt. She’d felt it as if it were her own.

She wasn’t going to waste any time. She was going to find Kristy, and prove that she had the Gamma. She was going to show the crew that–no matter how despicable her powers were–at least they were reliable. At least she was reliable.

She was going to find Kristy, find the Gamma, and then...then…Shit. Then what?