Healer

20

     Imbago was sealed away in a room with no exit, trapped behind a transparent wall of containment Artifact. He could see her, the desperation on her face, the pleading in her eyes, the way her fists pounded on the surface as she begged for help. But he couldn't hear her. Worse, he couldn't reach her. He tried everything, hitting and kicking the wall, smashing chairs against it, even shooting it, all to no avail. He couldn't put so much as a scratch in the smooth glass-like surface. He screamed for help, begging someone, anyone, to help her, get her out...

     "Reynolds!" Hands on his shoulders, shaking him harshly. "Wake up, lad! It's a nightmare."

     Reynolds opened his eyes to see empty black ones staring back at him. Even this close, Reynolds could see nothing of Arthur's eyes behind the blackness that covered them. It was a phenomenon he'd seen in medical when Love Potion Number Nine revived Hunters. Every time, their eyes were covered with that same blackness, usually for anywhere from half an hour to an hour after they revived. Remembering that fact, he frowned. "Walsh," he said. "That day when I got forced to heal him? I never saw his eyes go black."

     Arthur blinked. Letting go of Reynolds, he stood and turned away, padding toward his dresser in nothing but boxer shorts.

     "I never saw his eyes go black," Reynolds repeated, sitting up to stare after him. The Hunter's back was covered with strange-looking tattoos up and down his ribs. "Every time Number Nine brings back a Hunter, their eyes go black. But his never did. Why didn't they turn black?"

     No answer. Reynolds took a deep breath and plunged ahead. "I heard a rumor that I brought him back somehow. Did I?" When Arthur still didn't respond, he pressed, "Arthur, I need to know."

     "Why?" Arthur asked crossly. "Regardless of what brought him back, healing him the way you did very nearly killed you. I understand that you did it after you'd already been using your ability that day. Then yesterday, you healed a leg that was injured down to the bone - yes, I saw the reports and read them last night while you were asleep - and still helped fight your way out. You are immensely powerful."

     "Powerful enough to bring someone back from the dead?" Reynolds asked quietly.

     The Hunter finally turned. The tattoos, Reynolds noted absently, were also present on his chest, flowing like a secret language over his skin. "Yes. You brought him back, but please do bear two things in mind. First, Walsh had only just passed over. What you did was likely akin to jump-starting a battery in an automobile, and doing it nearly killed you. It's doubtful you could bring back someone who had been dead for an extended period of time. If you tried, I have no doubt you'd only die yourself. Second, what do you think will happen should news of the full extent of your ability spread? If you think you're hounded for healing now, what do you suppose it will be like should that pertinent little fact become known?" He shook his head. "The records have already been altered, with notes indicating that Walsh did indeed display the black eyes that indicate Number Nine was in effect, just as it would have been had you not been involved."

     "Why would the Foundation not want its people to know what I can do?"

     "Those who need to know do. I know because I'm a nosey git," Arthur explained. "I have taken a personal interest in you and your activities since I met you. I knew what questions to ask and who to ask them of. I took great pains to ensure that those I spoke to would speak to no other."

     "Why?"

     Arthur gave a deep sigh. "Candidate Reynolds, you are now entering the final stage of your drive to become a Hunter. What will happen if you succeed?"

     "Well, I'll get my own missions," Reynolds began, "with my equipment assigned to me permanently. I'll get Love Potion Number Nine, which means..." He froze, eyes wide as the answer finally hit him.