On the other side of the door, Hunter stood next to a man who was very obviously a Mystic. The stranger had wide shoulders and powerful arms that ended to oversized hands with fingers so large, that his thumb was easily the same width as her forearm. His strangely cut hair was hidden under a piece of uniform gray cloth. He wore clothes closer to what Mr. Bancroft wore, but they were awkward on him. It seemed as if a sudden movement would shred the shirt clean off of his chest.

It was the stranger who addressed her. Hearing his voice was the first time she’d struggled to understand if she was ‘hearing’ or truly hearing since coming to the city. “Hello 055-7426B, I’m Harlowe Gaines, I am a Mystic like you.”

She yelled back into the aether blindly. “Hello, Mr. Gaines, I am so glad to meet you.”

He winced visibly. “You have been unwell? Yes?”

“I am feeling better.”

Dr. Hunter was smiling at her and directing her to the same paper-covered platform from the day before. She hopped up and held her arm out for him as he rolled his little cart of instruments to the side of the bed.

Gaines’ true voice was deeper, more stilted than what she heard in the aether. “I can confirm to both of you that she is able to communicate in the aether.”

Hunter shot her a knowing smile, nodded his head at Bancroft who’d stepped into the doorway and said, “I told you the council was overreacting. Every time something new and exciting happens there are stodgy old men quick to shoot it down. This city is so averse to change.”

“I recommend that you remember I am an altered man, physician." He pronounced the title hotly as if it was a slur. "If your words aren’t already being directly monitored, they can be recalled at a future date.”

Hunter waved a dismissive hand at Bancroft. “Hector is the only one who’d bother watching your feed and I’ve already discussed as much with him.”

“Who is Hector?” She asked Gaines through the aether. He’d stepped back to allow Hunter at her side.

“He is the King’s man, a powerful general, the most powerful Mystic among the Dyads.”

“Who are the House of Lane?”

Gaines didn’t answer. His eyes narrowed with focus as he watched Hunter remove a cold cuff from her arm.

“Mr. Gaines? Can you hear me?” She tried again.

“Yes-yes, I’m sorry,” She saw him visibly start, his attention bounced back to her. He had strange eyes, one a deep lavender, the other a honey-soaked hazel. “The head of house is Mattias Lane, the King’s brother. His sons Charles and Alixander are both on the Council. Where did you hear of the Lanes?”

“I ran into a man called Hasan last night in the common hallway when my attendant was glitching. He said he served them.”

His eyes immediately raised to Mr. Bancroft who stood like a statue with his arms crossed in the door. He blinked hard and gave a little nod but offered her no clear response.

Gaines’ demeanor changed and he stepped forward, laying a hand gently on Hunter’s shoulder. The doctor gave him a knowing nod and stepped aside.

Gaines approached her carefully, he raised his hands and showed her his long fingers, the knuckles seemed as big as her elbow as he fully extended the bones. “I am a specialized sort of generator, Ms. Greenblade. I am able to absorb and read the energy of other Mystics. You can think of me a bit as a diagnostic computer. But for the next part of the examination, I’m going to need to lay hands on you. Are you comfortable with that?”

Evara looked up at him desperately. The last thing she wanted was for this man to ‘diagnose’ her, to announce loudly to the rest of the room that she was feeling blindly through the aether — that it was just the loudest noises that seemed to register with her; that she was 'shouting' indiscriminately; that she’d seemingly been damaged by the fever that had robbed her of days of consciousness.

He looked down at her, his wide face emotionless. “Trust me, it’s okay. I’ll be careful as to what I say in front of Bancroft.”

She stared up at him wordlessly. How could he hear her concerns when she’d not said or 'shouted' them at him?

Dr. Hunter picked up on the interplay, but he was unable to operate in the aether and had landed on a far more innocent assumption. “Don’t worry 055-7426B, both me and Officer Bancroft will supervise Captain Gaines’ examination. As you heard earlier, Bancroft is recording everything. This is a routine medical procedure; your reputation will not be harmed in the process.”

Bancroft spoke up from the doorway. “This is only the second time we’ve had to do this with a woman and the last one escaped unharmed.”

Evara nodded. What other choice did she have?

She felt a sudden pressure as Gaines’ fingertips dug into her temples, under her jaw. He lowered the wide berth of his forehead toward her. She felt something of a heat passing over her face. He closed his eyes and his loose pinky fingers passed over her eyelids, encouraging her to close hers as well.

After a moment of soothing calm, she felt an immense pressure build. It was as if all of her sinuses had become full at a thunderclap. The sensation intensified until she felt as if her eyes would pop out of her head, and she drew back inadvertently. His left hand lost contact with her for a moment which caused a sudden shift in her. The energy seemed to blow violently out the empty side of her face.

Evara yelped at the sensation, causing Gaines’ eyes to snap open. The fingers of his right hand were shaking as he withdrew them.

As she caught her breath, she noticed that the aether remained under the fog but there was a new sensation of light underneath it.

Gaines’ eyes were wild, bloodshot as he retreated. She could see as he drew his hand to his side the tremor remained.

A few seconds of silence filled the room as she heard Gaines take a series of deep breaths.

Finally, Bancroft’s footfalls echoed from the door. He’d moved right behind Evara, a menacing figure that she imagined was poised to grab her and pull her off to some terrible fate. “Mr. Gaines?”

“She is different as her sister was, but not quite the same,” Gaines seemed to be struggling for words, for breath.

“Is she a generator? A reader?”

Gaines shook his head. “I mean she can read obviously. But —“

“What is it Gaines?” Bancroft’s voice had grown acrid.

“I need to work with her further.”

“She has already overstayed her intake period.”

“Well then integrate her but do so cautiously. Let me work with her.”

It was Hunter that interjected this time “Why?”

Gaines sputtered for a moment and then went silent and his arm that had held him against the wall went suddenly limp. The giant man tumbled down. Bancroft finally left her be to help him.