Chapter 9: Nucleotides and Fractals

"What do you mean you've lost him?" asked Garrick dangerously. He paced the study in his house; phone in one hand and a pen in the other. He twirled the pen about his finger in a great show of dexterity, but the force with which he caught the pen after each rotation betrayed how tense and annoyed he was.

"He went into the forest, Garrick. You want me to follow the kid through a forest in the dark? It looks like he might have taken off running. He could be anywhere by now." said Pete, I could hear his voice through the phone's receiver.

"Well why is he running? Did he know he was being followed?" asked Garrick.

"There's no way he could have known. Maybe he was in a rush? He has to go home eventually Garrick, I can just wait there."

"First, he miraculously walks out of the hospital seconds before it's locked down, then he miraculously loses his tail, and you both want me to believe it must be a coincidence? Find him, Pete."

"Let it rest, Garrick. What's he gonna do, huh? It's 9:30 on a Monday and the forest isn't exactly prime crime-committing territory."

"It's not crime we're after, is it?" responded Garrick, "He isn't escaping lockdowns and losing his tail without reason. What's more, he isn't doing it without help. If my guess is right, when we dig our way to the bottom of this, we're going to find that woman. Whatever she's doing, she's doing without the elder's approval so she's going to have a hard time escaping our justice," said Garrick.

"You're going to sanction Darraday?" asked Pete, he whistled softly, "Gonna start the ancient war anew single handily?"

"What did you think would happen, Pete?" said Garrick. The Pen slipped out of his fingers and hurtled across the room, "That we would find the slime and politely ask them to pretty please stop endangering the Assembly?"

"You're going to need much better evidence than her helping this boy escape a quarantined hospital before the Council would even consider a sanction on a bloodline," said Pete, "Even so, I don't see how she could have possibly known about the hospital. We organised that in a day and we kept it quiet."

"And yet," responded Garrick, "He got a phone call moments before he left and it just so happens to be a call we can't trace. Do you so easily forget that they've been one step ahead of us for three years now?"

"Fine," conceded Pete, "Your hunches have a tendency of being right, but for now we still have no proof that Darraday is one of the seditious."

"Which is why you need to keep that boy in your sight. He could be meeting with them as we speak. Think about it, Pete," said Garrick, "Simon is very important to somebody. Whatever Anna Munteanu found has been hidden, the entry was deleted. Every blood sample taken was marked as contaminated and destroyed; an order that was given by Latona herself. She is hiding something. If I'm right, then this is our first big break since Natalie."

"What could they be hiding? Why this boy?" asked Pete.

"Any guess is pure speculation for now, Pete."

"Humour me," said Pete in turn.

"Humour you?" asked Garrick, "I didn't know that was part of my job description. Find the boy, Pete. Are there any traces of where he might have gone?"

Pete's sigh could be heard through the phone, "This isn't Lord of the Rings, Garrick. I can't stare at this pile of leaves or that pile of sticks and hope they'll form a map leading me to him. It's not like – ah!"

"What is it?" asked Garrick.

"He is definitely here, he ripped a piece of his shirt off against some tree bark."

"Keep looking," urged Garrick.

"I can't count the number of times I've seen your hunches pan out Garrick. It's the only reason I'm on board with what is otherwise a ridiculous plan to surveil a 16 year old boy. It might help me look a bit harder if you could give me some possible reason other than your obsession with Darraday."

Garrick pulled the phone from his ear and looked for a moment as though he wanted to crush it in his fist.

"It is possible," said Garrick, controlling his temper, "that they are trying to hide candidates from the Council," he paused for effect, "If so, things are much worse than we thought. It means they might be playing a very dangerous long game. Give them enough time and we'll have a group of powerful and organised candidates intent on taking down the council," said Garrick.

Pete seemed to consider the matter for a bit, "That," he said, "That would be bad. But why hide his blood? You don't think he's bloodline do you?" Pete sounded for all the world as though that would be ridiculous but also very bad.

"Does it matter why? There could be any of a thousand reasons," said Garrick

"I can't think of a single one," admitted Pete without embarrassment.

"If he were a bloodline," said Garrick patiently, "he would have to be from the Darraday line. I've considered it. It would fit so well with why Latona is here, but there are two problems with the theory. First, it would mean that Darraday came out of retirement with the Elders permission; a fact they deny under oath. Second, if he were a bloodline candidate, he would be much, much more powerful," said Garrick.

"He could have the power to crush entire buildings with his mind for all we know. It's not like he would show us," asked Pete flippantly.

"I had a sparring match with the boy. I pushed him hard and he's not hiding anything. He's either the most gifted boy ever born or he's a class 6 candidate. A bloodline Pros though, well, even if the stories are a bit exaggerated he'd still have to be beyond our classing system in terms of power," said Garrick.

"So you think he's about average for a pros, but you also think he's a candidate?" asked Pete. He sounded both fascinated and interested.

"I'm not sure what to think. I do know he's somehow in the middle of all this. I suspect that they've found some way to change his blood in order to hide him. That might explain why they would do just about anything to keep him from us. He was on my front doorstep and Brenda didn't sense a thing. It just so happens we have a Darraday in town. With her bloodline gift, she is one of the only Charms that can get within 60 miles of Brenda and still go unnoticed. This is not all one cosmic coincidence, Pete. There's a reason behind it all and we are going to puzzle it out. Starting with Simon's blood."

There was silence for a while.

"Have you found anything?" asked Garrick

"No, but I'm starting to revise my assertion that the hospital was overkill. Why not just kidnap him?" asked Pete.

"Because," said Garrick, sounding for all the world like he was being annoyed by a toddler's incessant questioning, "That might force the seditious faction's hand and I don't think we're ready for that without the council's full support. I've been tasked with finding them and you've been tasked with helping me. I don't think either of us have been asked to die in the process.

"Don't leave just yet. Wait and see if he emerges from that forest. Call me back if he does."

Garrick dialed another number and waited as it rung.

"Do you have eyes on Darraday?" he asked the moment the call connected.

A women replied, "Yeah, she's sitting at home and reading a book."

"Anything suspicious?" he asked.

"I think she knows we're surveilling her," said the woman, "She's reading a book, but she's also only placed her middle finger on the back cover and it's pointing right at one of the cameras. On account of who she is, there is no chance that's an accident."

"Dammit," said Garrick, then he paused as asked, "She's not removing the cameras?"

"Nope, she's made no move to remove or even search for the cameras. She might just be guessing," said the woman.

"Guessing or not, she's still right and that it doesn't bother her, bothers me," said Garrick.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

"We stay put. We can't overthink this. She can't be a part of the seditious faction if she's never meeting with them. Keep eyes on her at all times. She's going to make a mistake eventually. With any luck, we can force her to make one."

"On it boss," said the women. Promptly, she hung up.

Just as the women hung up the phone, there was a knock on the door. Garrick looked at his desk and then he stared at the door for a while as though he was daring it to disturb him a second time. The knocking did come a second time, though much more quietly than the first.

Garrick marched for the door with a snarl on his face. He ripped the door open and stopped.

"Kerry," he said, his voice suddenly much more gentle.

"I know I shouldn't disturb you," said Kerry, "but mom insisted that you'd want to be disturbed for this."

Garrick hugged his daughter, "Sweetheart," he said gently, "you are always a welcome distraction. What is it?"

Kerry just took a step back and spread her arms to the side.

With a smile on her face, she asked, "Notice anything?"

It took Garrick a moment to notice the necklace adorning her neck. His eyes grew wide and his grin was the first genuine smile of his that I had ever seen.

"So you've decided after all," said Garrick, "good girl."

"Mom and I fly out Thursday night for a weekend ceremony. We'll be back on Sunday," she said.

"So soon?" asked Garrick, "and so short a trip? Most Charms stay for a few weeks to help the transition. School ends in a few weeks and then you can fly over and stay for as long as you want."

"Mom's agreed to be my first, so I won't waste any time trying to find somebody," said Kerry.

"You've never been, Kerry. There is much more to do then flirt and find a suitable first. I have seen Charms stare at that tree for a week and still not tire of it. There are thirteen resorts, each with things you will never be able to see anywhere else," Said Garrick.

"I know, dad," answered Kerry, "But I just can't wait anymore and I don't want to miss any school. Also, you said I could travel all I wanted once I'd made my choice. I'm planning on doing some traveling this summer anyways, so I can always go back."

"This summer? Already? You're not even 16 yet!" said Garrick. He seemed so much like a typical overprotective movie-esk dad. I suppose the stereotype had to be born somewhere.

"I'm sixteen in, like, two weeks, dad. Also, I'll be in the trust by then," she said patiently, "I'll be safe just about anywhere I go and I'll never be alone if I don't want to be. Also, you're crazy if you don't think mom is going to make a few calls and be given details about every stranger I talk to and every breath I take."

"Well," said Garrick, looking at his daughter fondly, "I suppose you know best. I wish I could come with you though, I never imagined I'd miss it."

"I know dad," said Kerry.

"You're such an understanding girl," he said as he pulled her in for a second hug.

"I love you, dad," she said.

"I love you too," replied Garrick.

I felt as though I was intruding, so I went to check on Pete. He sat near the school, watching the treeline. He was in a fairly good position to see anybody coming from the forest without being seen himself. He also cleverly positioned himself near a corner so that he could disappear from view entirely at a moment's notice.

The stick he held in his hand suddenly caught fire. One moment it was just a stick and the next, it had suddenly burst into flame. I was glad I didn't have a voice with which to announce my surprise.

Pete, however, didn't seem surprised. He put the sick down behind the wall so as to keep the flame from view of the forest. He picked up another stick. It quickly caught fire as well and was placed with the first. He picked up a third stick and, while the first two had caught me entirely by surprise, this time I watched really closely.

As I suspected, it was Pete. He was causing the sticks to ignite. He was setting the sticks on fire, but what surprised me was that he was doing it by shaking the molecules within the stick itself. He was effectively adding energy to the stick until it combusted. For me, doing such a thing would be creative, but also rather simple.

Pete, however, was not like me. If Pete were an alien like me, it would require quite an ingenious feat to be able to hide himself from my sight. No, Pete was clearly a physical three-dimensional human. How then, was he controlling energies that should not exist to him? How was he controlling energy that had no means of interacting with his world?

I couldn't work out how this was happening, but it did at least solve the mystery of what Garrick meant when he talked about a Pros having power levels. Was this the power a Pros held? The ability to control some small amount of the energies which should, in theory, be entirely out of their reach?

Garrick's reflexes and strength both seemed somewhat unnatural, though not altogether superhuman. Even so, it was possible that he could increase his reaction time and strength the using the same power that Pete used to light those sticks on fire.

Setting things on fire definitely had a much more supernatural flair to it. I marvelled at the simple ingenuity of it. I probably would have increased the heat of my hand until the stick caught fire. Pete's way took much less energy and he didn't have to worry about his skin melting off.

This blatantly defied the basic principles of physics. Of course my very existence was an affront to the natural state of this universe, but this was the first glimps I had seen of anything else being able to do the same.

I just couldn't figure out how.

The existence of humans with this sort of 'magic' might, somehow, be able to make it easier to hide among them. If only I could figure out how it worked. Perhaps this was somehow related to their DNA. It was, after all, one of the few aspects of a human body which I didn't have a very detailed understanding of. They all seemed rather obsessed with bloodlines. Perhaps DNA was the key to unlocking these powers. If so, then I could create my puzzle for them, I would just need to figure out how it worked first.

Selma was awake and in the living room. Sarah was on her laptop in her room and Rachel was reading a book in hers. Carl was walking down the stairs. He stopped for a moment to admire a family picture that hung on the stairwell wall. He made his way over to the living room and snuggled down next to his wife.

Her eyes tracked him as he walked and she smiled seductively as he sat down.

She leaned forward and put her hand on his chest, "The kids are in bed?"

"They sure are," said Carl with a satisfied smile.

"Well good, I don't want any interruptions," she said as she started to unbuckle the belt around Carl's pants.

"Selma! At least wait until we're in the bedroom," said Carl.

"Carl I've missed you," she said matter of factly, "So be a good Charm and fuck me when I want you too."

Carl lifted Selma's shirt up over her head. Selma's body was a piece of art. Every subtle line directed you were to look next. It was strange. Without a human body and the hormones that go with, my assessment of Selma was one of appreciating beauty and not one of desire. I could appreciate how she might fill my human self with lust, but I couldn't actually feel that lust itself.

As Carl started unbuttoning his own pants, he mumbled, "You know I don't like it when you call me that."

"Hey now dear," said Selma, she watched his fingers unbutton his clothes with bated anticipation, "Who's the one that wore his sap? They might call you the hermit Charm, but you're still a Charm and I'm going to show you why it was worth it," pause, "I know your weakness."

Carl finished with his pants and looked at Selma again, "Oh yeah? What's that?" he asked with a smirk.

Selma's body flowed forward as she gracefully languished her body upon his and pressed her lips against his for a moment.

"You love me," she said.

He stared at her, "guilty," he said.

"Don't feel bad," she said.

She caressed his face seductively before laying herself on her back, horizontally onto the couch. Her back arched ever so slightly and head tilted to the side as she looked at him intently.

"Now worship me."

I wasn't a command. It was an expectation. I could tell that Carl had no intention of disappointing.

I wasn't learning anything from those two and though it took some will power to tear myself away, I decided against being a pervert and switched my focus back to Pete. The little fire he had made looked like it had burnt itself out and Pete seemed to be fighting sleep as he rested his head against the wall and watched the treeline.

I was tempted to appear behind him with a carrot and say, "Ehh, what's up. Doc?"

Instead, I made a quick visit back to Kerry's house. Kerry was in her room. Her laptop was running, but she was bent over her necklace as though she was studying it. Kerry's mom was doing what might best be described a naked horizontal frolicking with Chloe in the master bedroom.

I wondered if having sex all the time was a human thing or a Charm-specific thing. If Matt and Richard's apparently hormones were any indication, then it was probably the former.

Garrick was still pacing about in his study, lost in thought. He needed some way to catch Darraday, but I couldn't guess his next move. My blood would be a priority, but now I knew he wasn't willing to kidnap me. He either needed to catch Darraday or force some sort of non-deadly confrontation.

The fact that Darraday and Garrick were not working together and that they both suspected the other of protecting me gave me the necessary wiggle room. That and the fact that I could eavesdrop of them effortlessly gave me a bit of an edge. I couldn't, of course, keep track of them at all times. Had I been more diligent I may have been able to forewarn myself about the hospital incident, but it seemed I had to balance living my life and protecting my identity. To forsake one for the other would ruin the entire point of either.

I decided to follow Kerry's lead and focus in on the necklace. The first thing I noticed was that the sap was covered in an extremely thin crystal structure made of a synthetic material I could not recognise. The crystalline lattice was only a few molecules thick, but it did serve to protect the sap without changing its refractive index very much.

The next thing I noticed was that the sap was not, in fact, petrified the way Rachel seemed to think. In actuality, it wasn't even real. Like my human body, it was made entirely of fake matter. This fake matter, however, was like nothing I had ever conceived to make. For one, it wasn't being held in place and yet it didn't dissipate. Each atom wrapped itself around its neighbour using hooks of a sort. It doesn't make sense with real matter as real matter is being held together by nuclear forces. With fake matter it could, in theory, stop the matter from dissipating after it was created.

The problem, however, was that the theory didn't pan out. I knew it didn't pan out because I'd tried it myself. It would slow the dissipation from near instantaneous to slow enough that some of the world's best high-speed cameras would be able to capture it. That, of course, wasn't much help.