“Eyes like mine? What the hell does that even mean?” Daniel asked with a frown, cutting him off before he could explain. Henri gave his brother a droll look. He’d spent the last twenty minutes on video chat being grilled at length by his enthusiastic younger twin, and, in true In Ho fashion, the boy had done nothing but interrupt him at every turn. He could barely get a word in before he was firing back with questions he couldn’t answer.

    “It was just entirely too familiar. There was an emptiness…a distance I remember seeing when we were kids.”

    “You mean when you’d find me passed out in random places.”

    “Yes. Uncle always speculated it was due to overstimulation. But, we were children, I didn’t understand it then. I remember finding you standing completely still, your eyes going blank seconds before you’d hit the ground. Yesterday, when she was once again berating my intelligence, the same thing happened,” he said absently, glancing at the desktop computer in front of him. He could still see everything as clear as day. After their exchange, and her hasty escape, he was quick to run after her. But, by the time he’d found his way to the administrators office, she’d already been sent home for the remainder of the afternoon, citing some obscure medical reason that Dr. Ackerman couldn’t legally divulge. He was promptly passed off to another female doctor who he expressly ignored. He wasn’t rude on purpose, but his thoughts were so consumed by Alice and what he’d experienced that he couldn’t think of anything else. When the day finally ended, despite being dead on his feet, by the time he got back to his dorm room he couldn’t sleep. Henri spent most of the night in the same position, sitting at his desk and scrolling through medical articles; searching for something that would explain what passed between them in that hallway. The power dropping, the energy power that consumed them, her knowing his real name…it was all too much to be a simple coincidence. 

    “And you think she could be…you know, one of us?” Daniel asked, using air quotes.

    “I don’t know what to think. In all honesty, it hasn’t been that long since I was freed. I went from using my abilities on a daily basis to not using them at all. It could simply have been a momentary lapse in control on my part.”

    “I doubt it was anything like that. Even when we were kids, you were always better at controlling this crap than I was. But, just thinking about it, it wouldn’t be too far of a stretch to think that she’s psychic. What happened between you two aside, she did say that Chang invited her there personally. I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone in that hospital had something wrong with them. Fairview could very well be a well organized observation front and we wouldn’t even know it. Which is why I still think it’s a trap. Everything is just too damn convenient.”

    “And I think you give him entirely too much credit. He’s not as smart as he’d like you to believe.”

    “That, or you’re underestimating him.”

    “Don’t forget that I know him, In Ho. Probably better than anyone should,” he said, adding the last part under his breath. Daniel’s face tightened in anger and regret, the emotions that passed silently between them amplified by their connection. They were twins, after all. Even hundreds of miles away, Daniel was close enough to pick up on everything he felt. So long as they were in range, his brother would know when he was hurting, even before Henri knew it himself. As Paragon moved into Chesterfield in search of him, it was their link that made his brother remember him. Without realizing it, Daniel was picking up on his presence as if he’d been standing right next to him. And he’d been powerless to do anything about it. Henri’s fist clenched against the wooden desk as his brother found the words he couldn’t.

    “I should have murdered that bastard when I had the chance.”

    “And then you would be rotting away in jail in his place. It’s good that he survived. Dismantling everything he’s ever worked for will be so much more gratifying than watching him die.”

    “Still, I don’t know half the he did to you, but it makes me livid that he’s still drawing breath. After all he’s put us through. And now Claire…He deserves everything he has coming to him.”

    “Agreed,” Henri said softly, his thoughts turning inward at the mention of his lovely sister-in-law. “Speaking of, Chang mentioned that Claire could be…” he trailed off, the word feeling dirty in his mouth even before he’d spoken it. It was almost like a slur, an epithet that he hated using.

    “Yeah. I see where you’re going with this. I still can’t read her mind and my powers have grown even in the time that you’ve been up North. Try it on this Dr. Morgan, it could be a very telling sign.”

    “You’re right. I’ll give it a go later today,” he said, turning over his wrist to check his watch. He still had an entire hour before he was supposed to report to work. The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. If Dr. Morgan was psychic, perhaps Daniel was right and the entire hospital was just a front for observing the phenomenon? He wouldn’t put something so cruel past Chang. But, what about the others? If they weren’t being kept at Fairview, where was he hiding them? Henri willingly admitted that Alice piqued his interest, in more ways than one, but regardless of whether she turned out to be friend or foe, his first priority where the men, women, and children still in the custody of Paragon. The people who’d been by his side since he was thirteen, who’d suffered and starved alongside him. The people he’d abandoned when he was rescued. He had to get to them. Before it was too late. 

    “So, when are you going to tell me about her?” He glanced back at the computer to find Daniel grinning.

    “Excuse me?” Henri asked, caught completely off guard. His brothers laughter was loud and boisterous, causing the speakers to ring from the vibrations He frowned. “What’s funny?”

    “You’re attracted to her.” That gave him pause. He fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair as he struggled to come up with a rebuttal. “If you ask me, that’s a good sign, Jung In.”    “What is that supposed to mean? Attraction isn’t something I necessarily have time for, you know? I need to–!”

    “It’s something you could use to your advantage,” he cut him off. Henri bit the inside of his cheek. 

    “I don’t think that’s something I’m comfortable with, In Ho.”

    “I don’t mean screw the information out of her. Claire would kill me if I even suggested something like that. But there’s no harm in buttering her up a bit. Flirt a little, brother. Have some fun and get out of there as quickly as possible. You said it yourself; she goes out of her way to be mean to you. Maybe she’s using that to cover up the fact that she feels the same,” he said. Henri deadpanned.

    “You’ve become exceptionally facetious in our time apart.”

    “Do you know who raised me? We’re lucky I turned out to be this normal,” Daniel chuckled and he sighed. He was attracted to her. He’d already admitted it to himself so why deny it? Whether or not being attracted to a woman who could be in league with the figurative devil was a good idea was still yet to be foreseen. But he couldn’t simply ignore the strong sense of physical attraction he felt the very moment he laid eyes on her. The moment she looked him in his face and accused him of being a child…Part of him had taken it as a challenge. He was far from a child. Perhaps he didn’t have the experience of others, but his superior intellect more than made up for it. Even then he could see her in his minds eye, could remember how thrilling it felt to have her full attention on him. And it made his heart race. Perhaps mixing business with pleasure wouldn’t be such a difficult feat?

    “I’ll…do whatever I have to,” he admitted. “I don’t have any time to spare and whether Dr. Morgan is psychic or not, she seems to be my best bet of getting what I need. I’ll find