In the Name of Order

Chapter 19: Choices

Eve's office is large. Unlike many of the offices I've seen here, it isn't made out of glass, so no one will be able to see me during my treatment. However, Eve's office is large enough to have a smaller glass room built into it. I assume I'll be in there for my treatment.

"This is my first time treating someone with your gift," Eve says as she hands me a blue pill to swallow.

"You call it a gift?" I ask, surprised a Purus member would use this word to describe it.

"What better way to describe a talent bestowed on you by the mysteries of this world?"

"Why fight us then? Why develop a cure for people who aren't sick?"

"A gift such as yours, Ms Bare, although remarkable, is unnatural and a danger to society. There must be a limit to what humans can do. This barrier is what divides us from the gods. The Gifted disrupt the order of it all."

Order; that's what this is all about. So many lives lost to restore order. I wonder who decided the balance of things anyway; deciding where humans should stand amongst nature and all things supernatural. However, I won't discuss any of this with Eve. I know her kind; nodding their head to give others a false sense of understanding, yet too stubborn to change a belief engulfed in so much wrongdoings.

"I've read all the files on others with your condition. Although you will be working exclusively with me, I have organized a team of doctors to look into your condition. We're all fascinated, you see. There has never been a Gifted with such severe side-effects from having their gift. Well...never mind that."

I can sense some sort of sadness from Eve, but I choose to ignore it. Even if I cared enough about her to allow her to offload her worries on to me, she doesn't seem like she wants to.

"You're sure you can help her?" Kane asks.

"Worry not. There has yet to be a patient I have not cured." Eve's smile is tight as she turns to face Kane, Mathea and my mother; all who decided to accompany me to this appointment.

"Please step into the glass room. This is to ensure you don't bring harm to yourself and the rest of us." Eve turns to address Saint, "Seeing as Willow is no threat when in there, I have no need for you, Saint. You should help Doctor King with his patient, and I will call you when needed."

"The contagious child? No, I prefer to stay here, Eve."

"As always, you'll be provided with protective gear."

"I know one of the volunteers contracted something from that kid, and you doctors don't know how it spreads. I'll be staying here."

"Which division were you transferred from?"

"Time is ticking, Eve. Let's worry about reporting me another time."

I try supress my laugh as I wonder how Saint came to be a volunteer. He clearly isn't bothered about the wellbeing of the patients coming in and out of here. I understand the Purus is short on staff, as Eve mentioned, but I'm sure they can do without him.

I step into the glass room and the door locks behind me.

"The room you're in acts as a giant scanner; monitoring the movements within your body and showing them on my computer. Ms Bare, I'll need you to embrace your pain."

"No. If I do, I'll hurt you. I'm going to fight it."

"You will not be able to hurt us from there, and in the circumstance of you attempting to hurt yourself, I'll release the sleeping gas into the room. Also, I'll need to test your abilities. This includes monitoring how your body responds to pain."