The Canteen, Lambent Laboratories, Cell 3,

Africa Dome

"I must apologise, my dear," Jasper repeated, his brown eyes filling his face.

Peppermint leaned over the basin to splash water on her face and caught sight of her reflection. Her blue-green eyes glowed, their colour enhanced by the deathly-pale hue of her skin. Strands of damp, violet hair clung to her cheeks and neck. She brushed them away with tingling fingertips.

"I'm okay." Her voice wobbled.

"He shouldn't have pushed you so hard." Jasper wrung his hands together. "He just doesn't understand."

She turned to him, catching herself on the basin as the room swung around her.

"I'm okay." Swallowing, she forced a smile. "Really."

The old man didn't seem convinced, but he stepped out the bathroom and waited for her to follow.

"It's like this, the first few times," Jasper said. "Manifestations can take a toll on a person. Remember to eat. Don't skip meals. Nutrition is crucial. Whatever is removed must be replaced."

"Removed?"

Jasper started down the hallway, either not hearing or ignoring her question. As she followed him, her mind returned to the faint line she'd seen tracing the route to the bathroom. It was the first time she'd ever seen something like it.

"Jasper, since the laboratory isn't connected to the dome's network, how come I can still interact with Phoenix?"

Jasper dipped his head. "We have an internal version of the program installed."

"But what happens with all the updates?"

"We get monthly updates."

Peppermint's mouth twisted. Once a month? Phoenix updated itself about twice a week. Maybe that was it — an update had come through while she was here. Now, if she asked for a bathroom, she was shown where one was.

"So when was the last—" Jasper turned off the corridor, his abrupt change of direction silencing her.

She followed him inside a large room.

"This is the canteen. You can come here any time before or after training."

Crimson dining sets filled the room, five to a side, the chairs and tables moulded into a solid mass. The aisle between them led to a pair of large food printers with integrated drink dispensers, the type she'd only seen inside diners.

"I thought you said no one ever came to the lab," she said.

"That's correct."

"But this place is massive."

"It used to be very popular."

"Never heard of it."

Another ancient LED screen was mounted to the wall, streaming the same SUN infogram she'd seen in the examination room on her first day. Was this where all the old technology came to live out the remainder of its life cycle before being recycled? The walls on either side of the tables were comprised solely of glass, looking out onto lush greenery. Peppermint stared at the vegetation, mesmerised.

"Back in the day, anyway," Jasper said as he moved down the aisle.

"Which day?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's just an expression."

She frowned again. When she turned back to Jasper, she started. A man sat hunched in one of the dinettes. He'd been hidden by Jasper's shoulder.

As she followed Jasper down the aisle the man's dark eyes fixed on her. His head moved, following her as she drew near. She opened her weConnect and let out a huff. No connection. Why did she keep forgetting?

They passed the man. The skin between Peppermint's shoulder blades began to crawl. She forced herself not to turn around to see if he was still staring at her — goosebumps chased over her arms at the thought.

"Who's that?" she whispered as Jasper stopped at the weDine.

Jasper didn't reply, engrossed in the menu. She tugged his pristine lab coat, attempting to attract his attention without raising her voice.

Jasper swung to her, blinking owlishly. "What?"

"Who's that man?"

Jasper turned around to see. Peppermint's eyes shot to the ceiling, lips catching between her teeth in pure mortification.

"Who? Oh, that's Adam. Uh, Adamite, I mean. But I think he prefers Adam." Jasper looked back at her and shook his head, no doubt having mistaken the reason for her crimson cheeks. "Don't worry about him, my dear. He's harmless."

Jasper turned his attention back to the weDine, and Peppermint stared at him for a second before making her own selection on the one beside it. He's harmless? Just 'tastic. Her food arrived. She turned around clutching the tray, her stomach untangling when she saw the man was not staring at her but instead looking out at the garden.

She followed Jasper to the closest dinette and tried to sit facing away from the strange man, but Jasper didn't seem to notice her and sat down in her seat. She couldn't sit right next to him, what would he think, so she sat opposite him, facing Adamite.

Peppermint grabbed a pre-dipped french fry and brought it to her mouth without the intervention of her brain. Her lips twisted — Phoenix never could get the right amount of tomato sauce on the things.

"So what happened?" she asked.

Jasper didn't respond. Peppermint ground her teeth at him — the man was overdue deletion.

"Jasper?"

He looked up at her and smiled disarmingly.

"I'm sorry, my mind must have wandered. What was that?"

"What happened?"

He glanced around, trying to locate the source of her concern. "Where?"

"Here." The word mingled with an exasperated sigh. "What made the lab unpopular?"

"Lambent? Why, it's never been popular. What on earth would you give you that idea?"

Peppermint's hand froze. She closed her mouth, the chip forgotten between her fingers. Her mind scurried to reload their earlier conversation.

"You said..." she paused, wanting to make sure she recalled the phrase correctly.

Jasper shook his head, a warm smile revealing ivory teeth. "Lambent Laboratories is an established research facility. We perform various studies throughout the year, which at times require a large study group. But not for a while now."

The chip found its way back to her mouth. She chewed slowly, avoiding the man's suddenly intent stare.

"Do you have many friends?" he asked.

She shrugged at the question, disposing of a few more chips before answering. Her stomach growled at her, appetite awoken. "Some."

"Do you miss them?"

"Not as much as my clustermates. Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you ask?"

It was Jasper's turn to shrug. It wasn't a very convincing gesture. "Curiosity, I suppose."

"Well, I'm curious too," Peppermint said. "Why did my nose start bleeding? And why did I have a seizure yesterday? Why don't I remember my visions? Am I supposed to be able to do this Augur thing on impulse, or does it just happen when and where it wants?" Her hands flailed in the air. "How does it all work?"

Jasper leaned back from her, eyes widening with every question. He watched her cautiously after the flow of words had dried up, as if wondering if there were more on the way.

"My, you certainly are curious."

"Since I apparently gave consent for all of this shit to happen, I expect some answers."

"Yes, I suppose that's only fair." He remained silent for a few seconds, but hastily lifted his hands when she opened her mouth. "Give me a moment."

She relented, but only by curling her hands into tight fists and clamping her jaw shut. Movement caught her eye. Peppermint sat back in her chair, her gaze drawn from Jasper to the hunched figure of Adamite as he made his way down the aisle toward them.

Jasper cleared his throat and began to speak. "You see, a psi has the ability to control an inner source of energy. We call it psi-energy, for lack of a better term."

Peppermint struggled to focus on what Jasper was saying. Just as with Onyx, Adamite drew her attention to him like filings to a magnet. He was taller than Onyx, but walked with a stoop, shoulders hunched forward and inward, his narrow head retracted into his chest.

Everything about him was stretched out, from his too-thin arms to his long, large-knuckled fingers. Light vanished into the depths of his sunken eyes. Purple smudges under his eyes made their sockets appear cavernous.

"This energy, when harnessed correctly, allows a psi to control their environment," Jasper was saying, not noticing her distraction until the man drew to a halt beside their table.

Peppermint gasped as Adamite snatched her wrist in icy fingers. He unfolded in an instant, shoulders pushing back, chin lifting in a haughty stare. She flinched as tingles raced up her arm, but she couldn't jerk free from the man's steely grip.

"Good p.m., Peppermint. You'll agree it's 'tastic to meet another Augur," the man said. His fingers tightened and his eyes lost focus. "I will have to leave now. We will meet again."

"It's best you leave," Jasper snapped.

Adamite's eyes narrowed. His lip lifted in the suggestion of a snarl as he turned to the old man. He released Peppermint's wrist and reached for Jasper instead, but the old man drew back, eyes widening in warning. Adamite's head sank into his chest again. His shoulders slumped as he turned from the table. Jerky steps took him out of the canteen.

When Peppermint found her body had been placed back in her control, her head swivelled to Jasper. His penetrating stare vanished in an instant, replaced by a warm smile. She shook her head, replaying the few words Adamite had spoken to her as her fingers massaged the cold flesh on her wrist.

"Adamite is a psi?" It was the first question she was able to construct.

"Yes. An Augur, like yourself."

"It's 'tastic to meet... another... Augur..." Her voice trailed away as she heard her own words.

Her lips parted in astonishment and Jasper's smile slipped from his face.

"I had a feeling you would say that," he murmured sourly.

. . .