Protection

 

 

Dyna set her phone down on the small table of her dormitory living room.

There were… a lot more kidnappings around the Los Angeles area than she had thought there would be. Information wasn’t easy to come by either. Dyna expected to need little more than a simple search to pull up a list of all kidnappings in the county. She hadn’t been able to find anything like that. Instead, she had found a list of statistics.

Having lived there, she never would have suspected that ninety thousand children were reported missing every year.

There were, on average, twenty to thirty children abducted every year. But another two-hundred fifty went missing under suspicious circumstances, which might also include abductions. Then there were the unknown circumstances. Three thousand children were reported missing with no definite cause every year. The vast majority of missing children reports came in the form of runaways, who Dyna presumed didn’t just disappear into thin air. Most probably made it back home. These statistics were just reports made to the local police department.

Unfortunately, Dyna wasn’t sure that she could discount any of it. It seemed obvious to her that a psychic was involved. Someone had tampered with her memories. That meant that this abductor could have tampered with the memories of parents, teachers, and anyone else with cause to look in on them. She did assume that her missing friend had been reported missing. While the psychic abductor might have been able to make their parents forget the child’s existence, they would probably have had questions about the same kid showing up in photograph after photograph and would have had awkward conversations with people the psychic had not messed with about their missing kid.

So the psychic probably influenced minds to disguise the date of abduction, the manner of abduction, and likely even the location. Instead of being kidnapped at a water park, the kid had wandered off during a camping trip and was now reported as lost, its own category, rather than abducted or suspicious circumstances.

She couldn’t remember exactly which year that water park birthday had been or a name. Hopefully her mother would be able to dig up some information. That would help narrowing things down significantly.

Another step she could take would be to track down the contact information for El and the others, just to ask them if they remembered anything. Given that they certainly had their memories modified by the abductor and had no access to the Carroll Institute’s hypnotists to reveal those modifications, she wasn’t counting on much.

Dyna wasn’t sure why she was quite so obsessed. It was a shock, to be sure, to find out that a psychic had kidnapped a peer that she couldn’t even remember, but at the same time, it didn’t feel all that relevant to her current problems. Id. Someone, some other psychic, was after her because of her alleged artificer status. And yet, the tampering with her mind in the form of blocking out faces and books of memories felt a whole lot more personal. People attacked artificers for various reasons, Walter, Ruby, and Emerald all agreed on that front.

People didn’t just erase memories.

Dyna couldn’t miss memories that she didn’t have. But she could be angry about not having them.

That book of her mind that had been entirely blacked out didn’t even give her a clue as to the contents. No jumping off point like the water park. Without that clue, she might never figure out what had happened. Some part of her was hoping that the fully blacked out book was related to the kidnapping, if only for the lead.

Having had an hour to reflect, Dyna was almost certain that both of her mental books hadn’t been vandalized by the same person. The kidnapper had used a permanent marker while the larger book had been painted over. Perhaps that was an odd distinction to make, but it was a difference. The latter change had obviously been far more thorough as well.

Once again, Dyna could only think of the Carroll Institute. They had the knowledge and resources to do something like that.

But why? And to just accidentally reveal it through a hypnosis session specifically designed to look for changes to her mind? It seemed like someone would have made a note in her file to avoid such a situation. It just seemed too stupid. And the Carroll Institute did not strike Dyna as a foolish organization.

Maybe someone wanted her to distrust the organization? Or perhaps that was completely incidental.

Standing from the living room couch, Dyna walked over to the window. The administration building stood tall in the distance. Lights dotted its windows against the dark of the night, indicating that some of the offices were still in use despite the late hour.

If it was them, what should she do? How should she act? Could she run away? Not likely. Not with people like Emerald and Ruby in their employ. She would have to divorce herself amicably from the situation. Turn in her artifact and possibly agree to more memory manipulation to hide their secrets.

Which, given people like Id, would leave her completely vulnerable to those organizations who wanted to get their hands on her. Assuming that the Carroll Institute didn’t just rewrite her memories to make her think she wanted to be here.

That was the real problem.

“Moping?”

Dyna turned to find Melanie leaning up against the kitchen counter, wearing a long nightgown. She had some cream smeared across her face. A far too thick layer, in Dyna’s opinion. Dyna wasn’t a makeup aficionado. She wore makeup and, in high school, wore a bit too much makeup. But the cream was some kind of skincare product. Didn’t all the cream not in contact with her skin just go to waste? A thin layer seemed like it would make the product last longer.

Shaking her head, Dyna shrugged. “No. Not really.”

“What happened to your movie partner?”

“Ruby?” As far as Dyna knew, Ruby was still undergoing evaluations. Though given that she hadn’t been the one whose mind had been invaded, hers probably finished earlier than Dyna’s. Maybe she was relaxing in the artificer quarters down in Psychodynamics. “It’s nothing to do with her. Just thinking about the past and psionics.”

“Ah. Thought you had figured things out. You were so excited these past few weeks.”

“Eh… I thought so too. Feels like things got a whole lot more complicated though.”

“I get that,” Melanie said, nodding her head before sipping from a small mug. “Transitioning from passively and instinctively creating illusions to deliberate creations and training was… a big jump. Took a good year just to get into the idea. Now?”

With no visible movement from Mel, a dozen tap-dancing aliens marched across the countertop. An odd choice. Mel’s illusions didn’t carry an auditory component, leaving the aliens dancing in silence. Still, it proved Mel’s point.

“Just keep at it, huh?” Dyna asked with a faint smile. She hadn’t even been thinking about training herself more. Not that she could really talk about her true concerns.

If she even mentioned the idea that her memories had been modified, Mel would probably immediately rush to one of the facility staff. That was what everyone was told to do, after all. Couldn’t run a school for psychics without putting some effort in keeping the students from mind controlling each other.

Though, perhaps Mel was right.

Not in training psychic things, though that might certainly be a part of it, but Dyna needed to focus on herself. On what she could do. Not on what she would do in hypothetical scenarios that might not even come true, like the Carroll Institute brainwashing people or Id showing up for tea unannounced.

And what could Dyna do?

She could plan.

Someone had manipulated her memories.

Someone could do it again.

How could she stop that from happening? Without knowing how, why, or who, she couldn’t really.

But she could set up plans, ideas, routines, and resources for herself.

“Thanks for the talk. I think I’ve got an idea.”

“Glad some tap dancing aliens could help,” Melanie said. Again, she didn’t move, but all dozen of the aliens took off their top hats, bowed, and then vanished.

Dyna’s mind raced as she started toward her room. She needed some paper. A trail of clues might help her know if she ever wound up with altered memories again. If she couldn’t remember writing out notes containing her suspicions, that would mean that someone modified her memories. Of course, she would need to leave other clues for herself leading to those notes. If she forgot the notes existed, they wouldn’t do much good. Either they would have to be in a place she checked regularly or she would have to start regularly checking the locations. But drawing too much attention to them was also bad. Someone could easily find them and remove the physical item at the same time as they messed with her mind.

A few more words to her mother might help. Already, if her mother called back with news about the scrapbooks and Dyna couldn’t remember, that should tip herself off. Maybe she could send delayed messages to herself? Calendar events in her phone? Notes tucked in books?

Before Dyna could think more on how to implement her ideas, before she could even get to her room to start, a knock at the front door send a bucket of ice water down her back.

It… wasn’t Id. It couldn’t be. The woman wouldn’t actually show up for a cup of tea despite Dyna’s earlier thoughts.

Who else would knock? Not Ruby, that was for sure. Dyna doubted Ruby knew how to knock.

“You’re going to get that, right?”

Dyna glanced over to find Mel gesturing to her face. Or all the cream smeared across it.

“Maybe.”

“Something wrong?”

Walter was still gone. He had said he wouldn’t be back until Friday. Still two days out.

“Could it be one of your friends? I’m not exactly Carroll’s most social psychic.”

“Who would knock?” Mel asked, waving her phone. “They would just text. But… If you’ve got a problem…” Her face shimmered. The pasty cream covering her face first changed color, darkening to her skin’s tone, before smoothing over and vanishing entirely. A faint hint of makeup blossomed across her face as her nightgown shifted to look a little more like a dress. “I’ll tell them you’re not home.”

“Wait!”

Mel didn’t. The dormitory wasn’t large enough for Dyna to get an argument out. In three steps, Mel reached the door and pulled it open.

Dyna, standing in the near her room door, couldn’t see who was there. She could hear.

“One of Dyna’s friends? So sorry, you just missed her. She had some business in the city this evening.”

“Oh I very much doubt that. Dyna wouldn’t go to the city alone.”

“Emerald?” Dyna said, stepping forward. She recognized that voice and, sure enough, its owner stood just past Melanie at the door to their dorm.

The green-haired woman flicked her eyes up, lifted a hand in a casual wave, and smiled.

The smile didn’t bring nearly the comfort that Dyna would have thought. In contrast to Ruby, who spent nearly every day around Dyna, Emerald lived out in the city. This was the first time she had seen Emerald in at least two weeks.

What was Emerald doing here?

Doubts and paranoia crept into the back of Dyna’s mind.

Emerald worked for the Carroll Institute. She supposedly collected artifacts and brought them back, but had an extensive collection of weaponry and, from what Dyna had seen through the mirror, knew how to use her collection. Combined with her ability to teleport, Dyna wouldn’t have any chance at all if she were here for her.

But… no. That couldn’t be what was going on. Dyna hadn’t done anything. She had yet to even implement her plan to remember things in the event that someone like the institute wiped her memory. There was no reason for the Carroll Institute to be after her at this particular moment in time.

That thought helped Dyna to relax some.

Though apparently not enough.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes,” Dyna answered maybe a tad too quickly. “Sorry. Ruby isn’t here right now?” That had to be the actual reason Emerald was here. She had clearly heard that Ruby spent a great deal of time around Dyna and thought the same would be true tonight.

Emerald tilted her head to one side. “I’m not here for Ruby. She’s up on the roof making sure the area is clear. I’m here to make sure that you don’t get into any trouble. I was waiting down at the artificer quarters, but you… You look pale. A little sick.”

Dyna wasn’t surprised at all with how she looked. Her panic spiked tenfold at hearing that Ruby was on lookout and that Emerald was apparently here as a bodyguard.

It probably wasn’t the Carroll Institute after her. Not at this moment, anyway.

Had they heard something about Id? Or someone else? Surely nobody would assault the institute itself.

“She’s right,” Melanie said, stepping closer and inadvertently allowing Emerald into the dorm. “Do you need to sit down?”

Dyna’s eyes flicked to the window. With night having fallen, she couldn’t see much aside from the buildings and the lit paths between them. Set far outside the city, there were almost no lights outside aside from the buildings. Which meant that black clothed individuals could walk openly across the desert without being seen.

Pulling the compact mirror from her pocket, Dyna glanced down to see nothing more than her reflection. She still didn’t know if it only activated around that one man in the institute’s holding cells or if it was Id who activated it or certain situations, but it was all she had at the moment.

“Dyna?” Melanie moved forward, placing a hand on Dyna’s shoulder.

“Red,” Emerald said, pressing a finger to her ear as she moved up to the window. She flicked a light switch on her way, plunging the room into darkness. “Activity status? Something’s wrong.” She didn’t stand right in the front and center of the large living room window, but off to the side, back to the wall while she leaned slightly to peer out.

Dyna just stared at her mirror, watching herself breathe faster than was really healthy.

She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know who the enemy was, where they would be coming from, or where she could run. And she wouldn’t know unless the mirror changed.

“Dyna, look at me.” Warm hands touched either side of Dyna’s face as Mel forced her to look up. “Breathe with me, okay? Deep breath in. And let it out slowly. In. And slowly back out.”

It took a minute of work, but Dyna felt herself regaining control. Melanie leading her over to the stool at the counter helped. So did the glass of water.

“What did you see in the mirror?” Emerald asked.

“I think you better leave. She was fine before you showed up.”

“Absolutely not. And keep these lights out. We don’t know who is out there.”

“Who is out there? What is that supposed to—”

“Dyna, the mirror. What—”

“Please,” Dyna whispered. “Both of you, just… quiet for a moment. Please.”

Dyna kept her eyes glued to the countertop, bracing herself for an outburst from one of them. But neither said anything. Glancing up, she noted Melanie glaring at Emerald, but Emerald was looking at her with obvious concern on her face. It was absolutely not the face of anyone who wished her harm.

“Emerald,” Dyna said. “Why did you come here?”

“Your recent…” Emerald trailed off, green eyes flicking to Mel. “Experiences,” she eventually said, looking back to Dyna. “What happened is cause for concern. I’m here to ensure nothing happens to you. I didn’t get a chance to talk to you yesterday because of the tests, so I waited at the artificer quarters. When you didn’t show up after being cleared, I came here to find you.”

Dyna stared a long moment before slowly nodding her head. “Okay. That’s good. Thank you. When I saw you, I thought someone… It’s fine, Mel. Emerald is a friend.”

“What did you see in the mirror?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? But—”

“It didn’t do anything. It was just me. My reflection. I…”

Id was right.

It felt dangerous to admit that. Someone getting into her head in such an obviously hostile manner felt like someone Dyna should disagree with on principle alone. And yet, Id had been correct about at least one thing.

Dyna’s doubts were out of control.

It felt justified. Who could she trust? Dyna didn’t know. She didn’t know who to trust, who was out to get her, and who could support her. It would be one thing if she could trust her own memories, but she couldn’t even do that.

Her doubts certainly weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

But… Dyna needed to do something. Sitting here, falling to pieces over the very idea that people were after her, it wasn’t helping her or anyone else.

She needed to trust someone. At least enough to tell them.

Her first choice would have been her mother, but she wasn’t here. Calling her, emailing her, even sending a physical letter seemed… insecure. Having seen evidence of Beatrice abusing technology to get Dyna out of her situation, she wasn’t about to trust a phone call for anything especially important.

The two women right in front of her were about the only candidates aside from Ruby. Mel was obviously worried for her, with the way she alternated between pitying glances at Dyna and glares at Emerald. Having known her, having been her roommate for a few months now, Dyna knew that she was perfectly willing to use her abilities on other people, but her abilities didn’t include memory manipulation.

Emerald, Dyna didn’t know as well. But between her reasons for being here tonight and her help while being chased in the city, Dyna could at least believe that she didn’t want to harm her.

There was still the possibility that one or both of them would run off to the Carroll Institute administrators and Dyna would wake up one morning strapped to some memory wiping machine. A morbid part of her mind said that it wouldn’t be so bad if that happened. At least she wouldn’t be worrying about blanked out memories.

But losing memories?

Even though it had apparently happened to her before, Dyna didn’t like the idea of it happening again. It was like someone had killed some part of herself that she didn’t even know. And likely would never know.

No. She couldn’t tell either of them. At least not before implementing her plan to remember things should something happen to her memories. But she still needed to tell someone now before she went completely crazy.

Once more, her mind drifted to the person she had thought of before when considering the problem.

“Emerald… Ruby is on the roof? Could I speak with her? In private?”