P. Stormcrow

The office she slunk into surprised Finn with how well-furnished and chic it was. She was five minutes late for her appointment, not because she had a mountain of papers to file, or that she kept forgetting to wind up the watch that appeared on her desk wrapped in a gift box and a bow. It was the fact that she and shrinks don’t mix. She had enough experience going to one after her marriage imploded to last her a lifetime already.

She eyed the painting hanging up on the wall opposite to the couch, a landscape that seemed to come alive at her scrutiny. Leaves rustled, and she swore she could practically hear the brook gurgling.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? I always found the vibrancy calming, as if I’m almost there.”

Finn jumped at the voice. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” She pressed a palm against her chest. 

He stood next to her, a man of indiscriminate age with hair more gray than dark in a crumpled patterned shirt, slack and sweater vest. “Doctor Laurent.” He extended a hand to her, paying no mind to her swearing. “Agent Reed, right?”

She wanted to walk out, to scoff at him, but they both knew he had the power to declare her unfit for the field. So she shook with him and faked a smile. “Yeah.”

“Please have a seat. There’s no need for formalities here. Or pretenses.”

Shit.

She sat without a word but found her gaze wandering back to the landscape. It was hard not to stare, given how it dominated the space. The doctor said nothing, giving her the time to think, something her last shrink never did. A shot of appreciation nearly softened her toward him. Almost.

“Is it magic?” she asked.

“The painting?” His tone was even, and he sounded patient.

“Yeah. The way things move… the sounds.” Anyone would judge her insane, but she reminded herself this was the Aberrant Control Division.

“All art is magic,” he answered in that pleasant baritone as he stepped away to retrieve something in one of the many filing cabinets that dotted the room. Perhaps her own file.

Finn leveled him with a glare at the less than helpful answer, and he chuckled before he put up both his hands in a placating manner. “It’s not magic as you are thinking of it as. Just a very clever piece of artwork. The rest, your mind does the work.”

“How do I know?” she blurted out before she could stop herself. 

“Hm.” Dr. Laurent wheeled his office chair over and sat. “That is a good question. Everybody deals with it differently. Some assume everything is magic as a starting position. Others remain skeptical until proven otherwise. Most find their own version of a happy medium somewhere in between.” He leaned in and tapped his nose. “After all, not everyone has the ability smell magic the way your partner can.”

Yeah, lucky him. 

“Point is,” Dr. Laurent explained as he sat, “is that you’ll figure out what is acceptable for you, eventually. And there isn’t a right or wrong answer.”

“Thanks Doc.” She was proud that she didn’t roll her eyes, but sarcasm dripped off the words despite her best efforts.

He chuckled again, the sound comforting rather than patronizing.

“Now. You’ve just been through two traumatizing events over a short period. Tell me what you are feeling.”

And here it is. Ugh.

“Wait.” She did a double-take. “Two?”

He flipped through the file on his lap. “Yes, Agent Jackson almost lost his life in your last case. But before that, according to the report, you had a close call too earlier in the investigation.”

Finn shrugged. “It wasn’t like I got zapped. Those kinds of close calls happen on the field all the time.” What shouldn’t have happened was the proverbial bullet he had to take.

“And how do you feel about that risk?”

“What?” It was not what she expected him to ask.

“How do you feel about being put in these dangerous situations every day, dealing with powers we have little understanding of as part of your duty?”

“I—” She opened her mouth and snapped it shut. When she tried again, no sound came out. Then it hit her. “Wait, are you trying to rile me up?”

“No, Finn. But I am seeking to gauge your feelings about what happened. It is my job.”

“The question is kind of leading,” she pointed out.

He dipped his head, but before he could push, an alarm blared from speakers overhead somewhere. Three short and one long. Then the pattern started all over again. Evacuation. Base compromised.

Finn shot up from the couch just as Jackson burst through the door. “Come on. All hands on deck.”

She exchanged a look with the doctor, who appeared rather unperturbed, but motioned for her to follow. 

“Go on, to each our own tasks then.”

Dismissed and wondering if she was saved by the bell or if it was more out of an out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the fire situation, Finn followed Jackson, who led the way.  

The scene unfolding in the primary area of their base spoke of much more urgency than her companion seemed to show. Most were busy packing and loading boxes on to carts, but amidst the organized chaos, she spied Olivia motioning for them before she hurried to the other room.

“What’s going on?” Finn asked at last.

“The tube system is destabilizing,” Jackson replied, lengthening his stride.

When she gave him a blank stare, he continued, though he looked everywhere but at her, distracted. “It delivers what field agents like us need. It’s a delicate piece of magic coupled with manual machinery. But something has disturbed it and that’s all I’m privy to.”

They hurried along, with her partner seeming to know where Olivia went. Moments later, they stopped at another room, though this one more similar to an over sized broom closet.

“Oh good. Here, take the flashlight and hold it up. Like this.” Oliver held the torch up and Jackson grabbed it, following her instructions. 

Finn peered around and choked back a sound of surprise. Large brass tubes winded all along the wall that Olivia must have had opened up. Meanwhile, the girl continued to place the head of a stethoscope on specific parts, while Ms. Callaghan stood behind her with her arms crossed.

“Has this… happened before?” Finn ventured the question.

“Never.” The director’s voice was terse as she tapped her fingers on her elbow.

A sudden rattle cut off whatever explanation she may have offered. Olivia backed up with haste as the maze of pipes trembled with force, steam blowing from the joints.

“Shit, shit, shit,” the younger girl swore with vehemence. The whole ground shook. The system must run all over the building.

They all clasped their hands over their ears lest the banging did permanent damage to their hearing. Finn couldn’t shake the thought that this was some vengeful ghost coming back to haunt them. No, no. That was the last case. “Can’t we just shut it down?” she shouted over the din.

“It melted the control panel.” Olivia pointed to a distorted box behind the director.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Finn muttered under her breath.

“Forget about that!” Jackson yelled as he bent low to scoop up a wrench on the floor, dropping the flashlight so that it bathed the ceiling rather than point at a particular spot. “Move!”

All three women stepped backwards without asking a question. It wasn’t until he cocked the large tool back like a baseball bat that Olivia cried out. “Wait, what are you—”

Clang.

In one stroke, Jackson knocked a pipe clear out of its socket. The horrible racket died down. The alarm stopped, and the building ceased shaking.

“… doing,” Olivia finished, and dropped her hands. Had she planned to grab him?

“Well then.” The director looked as though she had swallowed something foul as she fixated on the bent tube drooping towards the floor. But no one could argue with Jackson’s results. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment to compose herself before speaking up again. “Were we able to discern anything before Agent Jackson so eloquently shut down the system?”

Finn had to suppress a snicker as her partner rubbed the back of his head with a free hand and a sheepish smile.

“As far as I could tell, there was some sort of interference in the sub-dimension. It was also suffering from a much higher load than usual which makes little sense because I don’t think there has been any active deliveries today.” Olivia chewed on her lower lip.

“Could anyone else use it outside of the Agency? Tap into it like a… hack?” Because that was what it sounded akin to. The security in this division seemed to rely on the fact that few knew about things or that it was too low Fi for people to care, and that made all their tech damn vulnerable.

And judging from the way Olivia stared at her wide-eyed, she may have hit the nail on the head.

She was just full of idioms today.

“Find out. I’m putting you and Agent Jackson in charge of this case. Olivia, go support them since you have the most knowledge of the tube system.” Director Callaghan spun around. “Meanwhile, I will go cancel the evacuation.” She gave the broken pipe one last look of distaste before walking away, heels clacking on the cement floor.

Olivia rubbed her hands together. Her entire face lit up with excitement as she bounced on the balls of her feet. “So, where do we start?”

The almost unholy glee she looked at them with reminded Finn of something before it hit her that she had felt the same way when she used to be an analyst and some field agent wanted to include her on a mission. She couldn’t help but wonder if Olivia had the same aspirations.

“Wait. Hold on.” He peered into the open gap of the fallen pipe. “There’s a thing… lodged in here. Bring the light over.

It was Finn’s turn to grab the torch and direct it towards the pipes. He shrugged off his jacket and used it to wrap his hand before he contorted in some interesting angles and reached inside.

Show off.

With a few grunts and a few hard tugs, Jackson yanked something free at last. Olivia and Finn both stepped closer to peer at the small brown box, parts blackened and damaged. Finn shone the light over and found she could just make out the one part of the label not charred beyond recognition.

“Deliver to Stacey Jones,” Olivia read out loud.

Jackson tore at the box, opening it up. Packing peanuts almost spilled everywhere, but he paid no heed as he dug in and retrieved a package of sandalwood incense. He handed those over to Finn and continued to dig.

The next item was not so innocent. A full sized tablet, though it was debatable whether it would turn on anymore.

Technology and magic don’t mix well together.

“How…?” Olivia started, then stopped herself again.

Jackson grinned, but for once, there was no mirth in it. “I think it’s time we give Ms. Stacey Jones a visit.”