Offkilter, Chapter 3

"Well done, Alpha. You've really gotten a grasp on the tactics now." Dr. Jenks gave a rare smile before noting something on the ever-present clipboard.

"Thanks, Doc." Jeremy walked through the dissipating smoke towards one of his fallen opponents before offering one hand to help the man up. The bright sparkles were fading from around the Crey Security guard's eyes, revealing a look of hatred that brought the nascent superhero up short. The other man scrambled to his feet, ignoring the proffered hand, and turned away without a word.

"Please don't call me that. I keep asking you…"
     "And I keep asking you to use my name instead of Alpha all the time," Jeremy snapped. He may not be a telepath like Dr. Oualline, but he could tell the guard's distaste had more basis than just being beaten in the exercise. He hadn't wanted the 'freak' to touch him.

Dr. Jenks sighed. "You're right, I suppose. We can't call you Alpha forever, and I suppose it doesn’t make sense, given that you were the only subject my serum had any effect upon."

"Finally." Satisfaction drove away the memory of the guard's revulsion. It wasn't often the Doctor admitted he might be right about something.

"Of course, if you're serious about continuing on as a hero, you can hardly go around using your real name."

Jeremy paused. He'd been thinking about that, as well. He knew he wanted something to convey the idea of trickery or deceit, someone that kept his enemies off balance, but hadn't settled on anything yet.

"Why don't you think about it, and let me know tomorrow what we should use for your codename." The Doctor smiled in his direction as Jeremy stepped up out of the arena and into the control-room. "After all, you don't want enemies tracing back to your friends or family."

A chill that had nothing to do with the air-conditioning that kept the myriad of computers cool ran through Jeremy at the Doctor's words. He hadn't talked to his friends or family in almost six months. He'd been allowed to use the phone from time to time, and though Jenks had asked him not to reveal any details about the project, it hadn't been an issue. His training schedule ate up most of the day, and so he'd been playing telephone tag with his mother for months.

Conner had proven even more difficult to reach, however. At first, the machine had picked up and Jeremy had thrilled just to hear his partner's voice. As the weeks went on, however, the staff at Crey's research facility had insisted Conner hadn't returned the calls. Then the machine stopped picking up, allowing the phone simply to ring and ring, unanswered. The last call, almost a month ago, had been the worst. He'd hung up on the automated recording that told him the number had been disconnected.

"That reminds me," Jeremy said, staring intently at one of the displays and keeping his face under tight control. "Has there been any word from Conner?"

He saw Dr. Jenks tense out of the corner of his eye. "Ah, no, Alpha – I mean, Jeremy. I thought, after the last call…"

"I want to try again." Jeremy continued to glare at the monitor, now showing nothing but the open chest that had held his mission objective – a small golden mask.

Dr. Jenks sighed. "I think it's time for you to hear something. Jeremy, please sit down."

Jeremy turned to the Doctor with an arched eyebrow. "You do know something, then."

"Yes," Jenks nodded, casting his eyes downward.

"Tell me. Now." Jeremy's hands had clenched into fists seemingly of their own accord.

Taking a step backwards, Jenks nodded hurriedly as he reached up to touch the goggles that covered his eyes. "I…I wanted Dr. Oualline to be the one to tell you, but she said we should wait until you were ready. Please, Alpha…er…Jeremy. Calm down and have a seat."

"I'll calm down when you've told me." Jeremy's fists began to pulse with an eerie white glow, casting sinister shadows around the small room. He stood between Jenks and the only exit, confident he could force the Doctor to tell what he knew without hurting the man. He forced his powers back under his control, and the glow faded. "I don't want to hurt you, Doctor," he snarled.

The sound of clicking heels approached from behind and Jeremy spun to face his psychiatrist. "Or she can tell me. I don't care who, I just want to know about Conner! Where is he? Why can't I see him?"

"Relax," Dr. Oualline said in a soothing tone. "Calm down, take a seat, and I will tell you." She shot a look over Jeremy's shoulder and Dr. Jenks nearly ran past the two of them and out into the hallway.

Jeremy started to go after him, but a shake of the head from Dr. Oualline stopped him. His anger drained away suddenly, and he tried to choke back a sob as he sank down into one of the chairs. "Where is he?"

Dr. Oullanie slowly removed her protective goggles and looked down into his eyes, never breaking the gaze as she knelt on the floor beside him. She placed one of her hands on his, her dark brown skin complementing his crimson red in a palette that would have been pleasing on another medium. Her hand was warm and soothing, and her amber eyes softened in caring.

"I'm sorry, Jeremy, but we haven't told you the whole truth."

He was trembling now. Almost thirty years old, and he was on the verge of crying like an infant. He drew in a deep breath and tightened his hand on hers. "Tell me," he whispered.

"Conner," Dr. Oualline looked away at last, her desire not to have to deliver the bad news obvious. "Conner asked us not to tell you, but I think you deserve to know. He came to see you, before you awoke the first time." She swallowed.

"I never knew that."

The psychiatrist nodded. "We decided it was better not to tell you. He…" She returned the squeeze on his hand as she continued. "We were still getting over the ramifications – you were the only volunteer the serum worked on, but we had so much data to analyze. Noone was really prepared for the changes you had to endure.

"Conner couldn't handle it, Jeremy." She looked back up at him, her eyes wide and open. "He wouldn't believe it was even you, at first."

Jeremy shook his head viciously, and the leather thong that tied back his ponytail came undone, spilling the long blue strands wildly. "I don't believe it."

"I'm sorry. He said it was for the best that you would never see each other again. We let you call, hoping he would change his mind, but…" Dr. Oualline trailed off. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

"You're lying," Jeremy said through gritted teeth, but her face told a different story. Even as he tried to convince himself that Conner would never do such a thing, he remembered all the comments he'd taken for jokes. 'Don't get fat, or I'll leave you,' Conner had often joked. 'Why would he ever go out with someone so hideous,' he'd remarked about one of their friends and his much older beau. Conner always had been over-concerned with appearances, but that hadn't been a problem while Jeremy had looked good.

"I think I need some time alone," Jeremy said softly. He turned away from the psychiatrist and stared through the plate glass window at the arena where the staff was cleaning the debris to prepare for another exercise.

"Did he buy it?" Dr. Jenks leaned against the wall of the hallway, arms crossed and holding his clipboard to his chest.

"Of course," Dr. Oualline replied. "And you played up the fear perfectly, making him worry about losing control again and leaving him open to my psychic manipulation."

"But he believed all of it?"

The psychiatrist sighed. "I said as much, didn't I? He'll need some time, but his esteem took such a blow that his need to be hated and reviled has taken on almost obsessive levels. He'll convince himself even more effectively than we could."

"And we, as the only ones who accept him, will be there." Jenks smiled. "Well done, Doctor. Her Excellency the Countess will be pleased with both of us."