The Simpatico Series Box Set (3 books in 1)

by Dermot Davis

  Sitting to her left, with a sizable distance between them, Abigail typed feverishly on her laptop. Even if she were feeling conversational, which at that early hour of the morning, she was not, Fiona knew that Abigail would only briefly respond before excusing herself politely in order to concentrate upon her work. Wondering if she was doing the right thing, by siding with Abigail in preference to her father, Fiona calmed her nerves with the realization that she would soon find out.

  She knew little about where she was being taken and she got the firm impression from Abigail that too many questions were not encouraged. Trust was the main word being bandied about by Abigail before she said that she was making some phone calls on Fiona's behalf. Deciding that she would not sign anything legal or binding, until she knew for certain that she could indeed trust what was happening, Fiona was of the mind that she could change her mind or pull out at any time. Noticing how strangely nervous and uncertain that she felt, about what might be happening, she gave herself a tiny pep talk. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, she reminded herself. Going on an adventure was always better than remaining cooped up in a hotel room with nothing to do and no one to talk to.

  Thinking once again of her conversation with Andrew, she admonished herself for being so impulsive and scaring him off with the overly dramatic and foolish demand that he never call her again. What an idiot she was for making such a request. Every day, since the day that she stormed out of her home, her very heart and soul had yearned to return to him. Even if he didn't want to be with her, or share in her longing, at the very least she should have been big enough to keep him in her life, if only to occasionally hear his familiar and sonorous voice. The big goofball, she smiled, as she thought of their long-ago joint adventures, road trips and more.

  "Almost there," Abigail announced as she noticed the smile break out on Fiona's face. "My apologies for the early start but you wouldn't believe the amount of work that I'm expected to get through in a day."

  "No problem," Fiona said affably. "A cup of coffee and a Danish and I'm good to go."

  "We're going to run by the lab first," Abigail explained. "Let them run some tests, see what's what."

  "Cool," Fiona said, secretly wondering to herself exactly why they would want to be running tests on her: perhaps it was a physical?

  Arriving at the same laboratory that they had visited before, Abigail brusquely made some introductions to men in white lab coats who seemed utterly preoccupied in their work; they didn't hide their disinterest in meeting anyone from outside the lab.

  "And this here is Lydia," Abigail announced as a young, officious-looking young woman, also wearing a white lab coat, approached Fiona and her aunt. Wearing little makeup, the young woman’s short, straight raven-black hair was perfectly coiffed.

  "How do you do," the dark-haired woman said as she shot her arm straight out for Fiona to shake. "It's so good to meet you," she said with a tight and forced smile.

  "Lydia will be your contact person for the duration of your stay in the lab," Abigail explained. "Anything you need, any problems, she's the person to see."

  "For my duration?" Fiona asked.

  "Yes, well, I'm afraid I've got so much work to attend you, I am unable to stay very long. Don't worry, you're in good hands; you will be well taken care of," Abigail said, looking directly at Lydia.

  "Of course, we'll take very good care of you," Lydia said, right on cue.

  "Fiona hasn't had breakfast as yet. Perhaps you can see what she wants and ease her in gently," Abigail suggested to Lydia.

  "Of course," Lydia said perkily. "There's a coffee shop and bakery on the corner. We send out for ourselves… all the time."

  "Perfect," Abigail said as she smiled encouragingly at Fiona. "See, they're going to treat you like visiting royalty."

  "Yes, we are," Lydia agreed.

  "I'll check in on you later, my dear," Abigail said as she gave Fiona a departing hug. "Have a wonderful day, Fiona."

  "Thank you, Abigail. You too," Fiona replied as they broke apart. In that moment Fiona noticed that it was weird for her not to call the older woman Aunt Abigail, but her sole female relative had told her that it wasn’t something that they could be public about; it wasn’t safe.

  Fiona watched Abigail exit and she felt a pang of concern that she immediately pushed away. Relax, she told herself. It’s just going to a be a few tests… to be certain that I’m healthy before I begin to do my part for the cause, for the world.

  Taking Fiona to a break room, Lydia sat her at a table at the back. "We have coffee and pastries here too, if you like," Lydia said, sounding as if she would like Fiona to agree.

  "Sure, that's fine," Fiona said agreeably. "I'm not that fussy."

  "Stay here," Lydia instructed as she walked to the coffee machine and soon returned with a cup of black coffee and a blueberry muffin. "Do you take cream or sugar?" she asked.

  "Just cream but I can get it," Fiona answered as she was about to stand.

  "No," Lydia said sharply. "You stay here, I'll get it," she said firmly and then leaned forward adopting a conspiratorial demeanor. "They don't like outsiders near the food and drink," she said in a hushed tone. "Germophobes, most scientists," she whispered.

  As Fiona ravenously ate the muffin and drank the coffee, both of which were okay, Lydia opened a file with sheets of blank forms. "I'm going to ask you a series of questions, please answer them to the best of your ability," Lydia said, pen in hand poised to write.

  "Okay," Fiona agreed. She wondered to herself: why all of the paperwork?

  One by one, Fiona answered questions about her medical history, as well as other questions, which she assumed were being used to build some kind of psychological profile.

  "Have you ever stolen anything from a store or another person and, if so, please explain the reasons and circumstances," Lydia asked in a neutral tone of voice.

  "No, I've never stolen anything from anybody," Fiona answered, feeling a bit miffed by the suggestion. "Or a store," she added when she noticed that Lydia still hadn't written anything down, as if waiting for her answer in full.

  "Would you describe yourself as a kind person?" Lydia asked.

  "Why are you asking me these questions, exactly?" Fiona asked impatiently. "What's the point?"

  "These are standard questions," Lydia answered, as if she was surprised by Fiona's reticence. "Are you refusing to answer the questions?" Lydia then asked, her pen held in the air as if to record Fiona's refusal and lack of cooperation as if it were deeply meaningful.

  "I just don't see the point, that's all," Fiona said reasonably. "No one has explained the purpose of all of this to me. I don't even know why I was brought here, to tell the truth."

  "Fine," Lydia said as she clicked the pen shut and slid it into her top pocket. "We can resume the questions another time. Let's get you started on the lab tests."

  "The lab tests?" Fiona asked but Lydia had already turned to head out.

  "This way, please," Lydia said as she kept walking. "Leave the dishes."

  Looking puzzled, Fiona got up.

  Leading Fiona to a room that was crammed with expensive-looking, high-tech equipment, she faced the young girl. "Sit down here please," Lydia instructed, as if it were an order.

  As Lydia swabbed various points on Fiona's head with alcohol-doused cotton balls, Fiona tried to get a good look at some of the equipment around her in order to guess the purpose of the various machines. Before her was some kind of computer that had an inbuilt screen. As Lydia placed electrodes upon the points on her head, the areas that she had just swabbed, Fiona pulled back. "What are these?" she asked, her brow furrowed.

  "Oh, don't worry, this isn't going to hurt or anything," Lydia assured her with a forced smile. "Just harmless electrodes, see?" she said, holding one out for Fiona to get a better look.

  "What are they for? I mean, why are you putting them on my head?" Fiona asked, like the whole thing was all so unusual.

  "Oh," Lydia said as i
f it was pretty obvious what was happening. "We put these on your head so we get map out your brain."

  "Map out my brain?" Fiona repeated like it was the weirdest thing she ever heard. "Why do you want to map out my brain?"

  "It doesn't hurt," Lydia said, like she didn't understand Fiona's objection.

  "I don't care if it hurts," Fiona said and then changed her mind, "Well, I do care if it hurts, obviously, but that's not what concerns me. I want to know why you want to map out my brain."

  Looking confused by Fiona's reactions, Lydia looked down at her paperwork. "It's next on the list," she said, like that would explain everything. "Is there a problem?"

  Lydia gazed coolly at Fiona.

  Thinking to herself that Abigail probably had a very good reason for everything that was being done to her, Fiona decided that she wouldn’t make trouble. Abigail was up to her ears in work and was stressed to the max. Fiona could imagine how the phone call that Lydia would make to Abigail would possibly proceed. She did not want to be another problem for Abigail to add to her overflowing list of issues to sort out.

  "You'll be able to see it for yourself," Lydia said, as if trying another tack. "Once I turn the screen on, you'll be able to see it working, it's pretty neat. It maps out the brain bit by bit, you'll see," she said encouragingly. "It doesn't hurt a bit. Honest."

  "Fine," Fiona said, not completely appreciating Lydia's condescending tone. "If it's on the list, we should do it. When does Abigail get back, anyway?" she then asked casually.

  "She comes and goes," Lydia answered back, just as casually. "Can't be sure. Now, watch this," she then said as she pressed some buttons and turned a dial on the device.

  The screen came alive and the outline of Fiona's head became clearly visible. Pixel by pixel the outline of the head began filling in to reveal the contours of the brain beneath her skull. As Fiona watched her brain recreated on the screen, she was secretly impressed.

  "See?" Lydia said, like she was talking to a child. "Pretty neat, huh?"

  "Pretty neat," Fiona said back, although she had to force herself to reign in her sarcasm.

  Once the brain mapping was completed, Lydia took some notes and removed the electrodes from Fiona's head.

  "Come lie down on this examination table," Lydia then instructed.

  Hesitant to get up and walk to the table, Fiona looked at Lydia as if seeking an explanation.

  "This one you will like," Lydia said, looking down at her list. "Ever did any tests to define your ESP quotient?" she asked with a cheerful expression. "Tests to see if you have any psychic abilities?" she then clarified.

  "Yeah," Fiona answered, beginning to see where the tests were going. "Why do you need to test for psychic ability?" she asked but didn't feel confident of a true answer once Lydia immediately flicked her gaze away and looked down at her paperwork. "Because it's on the list?" Fiona asked facetiously.

  "Why, yes," Lydia answered, oblivious to Fiona's sarcasm. "Is there a problem?"

  "No," Fiona answered wearily. "There's no problem."

  Once Fiona lay stretched out on the table, Lydia attached more electrodes to various parts of her body and then placed a bare-bones, yet technologically fancy, headset upon the young woman’s head.

  "This one is simple," Lydia explained as she sat on a chair beside her. "I read out a list of random words and you tell me the first word that comes into your head."

  "Fine," Fiona agreed, hoping that they were coming to the end of Lydia's list. Much to her chagrin, however, once the immediate test had finished, another one was presented to take its place: then another, and another. Hours later, she felt like her brain had been prodded and probed to the nth degree. Fiona had completed tests to define her propensities for all kinds of psychic abilities ranging from telepathy to telekinesis.

  "Can we, like, take a break?" Fiona finally asked as she sat herself up on the table.

  "Sure, but we're almost finished," Lydia answered cordially. "One more test and that completes the list for today."

  "For today?" Fiona asked with surprise. "You mean there are more lists? For other days?"

  Unsure of how to answer the question, or perhaps fearing that she had overstretched her authority, Lydia hesitated. "If you have concerns, you'll have to speak to Abigail about them," she said in a polite, yet firm tone of voice. "I'm just doing my job."

  "Well, let's get this over with, then," Fiona said as she lay back down on the table. "What are you going to test for now?"

  "For this one you need to be standing up," Lydia said, checking her paperwork. "We're going to take a three dimensional reading of your aura as you experience different levels of emotional focus."

  "What?" Fiona asked, shocking herself by the veracity of her blunt question.

  "Then you're done for the day," Lydia said, hoping to encourage her cooperation.

  Taking a deep sigh, Fiona eased herself off the table and stood up before her. "Stand up here?" she asked wearily.

  "No, for this one I need to put you in that little room over there," Lydia answered, pointing to a tiny unfurnished room that looked like a brightly lit dressing room with one-way mirrors acting as walls. "Then we can have some nice hot food, if you'd like," Lydia said, her promise of a meal and rest a crudely disguised bribe.

  "Yeah, I'd like," Fiona answered, wondering to herself what kind of nice hot food she'd have fill up her stomach. "Are we eating in or out?" she asked, trying to motivate herself, as she dragged her feet towards the small room.

  "We can order in," Lydia answered, anxious to get the test under way. "We have lots of different menus to local restaurants. Any kind of food you want," she said encouragingly.

  Once the test was completed, Fiona was delighted to order a curried vegetable dish from the menu of a local Thai restaurant. Just as the hot, steaming food arrived, and Lydia and Fiona had sat down to eat in the break room, Abigail arrived.

  Walking into the room like a tornado, she carried a briefcase in one hand and her purse in the other. As she set them down, on a nearby table, she gave Fiona a broad smile. "Well, how was your day in the lab?" she asked cheerfully. "Are you amazed as I am by modern technology and what they can do here?"

  "Totally," Fiona answered, opening her hot food.

  "I only have a few minutes," Abigail said, looking at the drinks counter to see what was on offer. "Then I have to get back. Thought I'd check in, see how things were going. Everything alright?" she asked, looking directly at Fiona.

  Wondering to herself just what kinds of questions to pose to Abigail, Fiona looked at her unopened meal and hesitated.

  "Don't postpone eating on my account, dear. One must take one's nourishment when one can," Abigail advised, still standing by the table.

  "I think, actually, I'd like to go back to the hotel and eat this there, if you don't mind," Fiona considered. "Maybe watch something on cable as I eat."

  "Oh," Abigail said, as if there was a problem. "You haven't been told about the sleep study?" she asked while looking at Lydia.

  Quickly looking back down at her paperwork, Lydia flicked through some pages until she found something and stopped.

  "Sleep study?" Fiona asked.

  "Oh, I'm so sorry, I forgot about the sleep study," Lydia said, her face beginning to blush red. "I wasn't sure if they were scheduled to start tonight or, there's no date here, see?" she said, pointing to something on the page.

  "Yes, of course they begin tonight," Abigail scoffed, without looking. "They're ongoing."

  "Ongoing?" Fiona asked, not at all liking the idea. "What on earth do you want me doing sleep studies? Or any of these psychic tests for that matter, Abigail?" she asked impatiently.

  "You don't like the tests?" Abigail asked, acting surprised.

  "I didn't say I didn't like the tests," Fiona answered, her anger beginning to rise. "I don't know what it is you want from me, why you are putting me through all this... crap."

  Looking shocked and surprised by Fiona's reactions, Abigai
l stepped closer. "Would you excuse us for a moment?" she asked Lydia and took her seat when Lydia quickly departed. "These are very similar tests to the ones you have been doing with Gus, Professor Dowling," she said softly. "He was amazed with your results and I'm quite sure we'll see similar results here, with more modern equipment, of course."

  "Professor Dowling is a scientist," Fiona said slowly. "He was doing research to explore the capacity of human consciousness. I don't know why you have this whole set up here," she said, looking out through the windows into the main lab. "I feel like a test guinea pig or something and, quite frankly, I don't see the point."

  "But I think you do," Abigail said meaningfully. "You told me that you wanted to help the world and apply your talents and here we are," she said simply.

  "So, by applying my talents, you mean my psychic ability."

  "Yes, of course. We all have our individual talents and abilities and, as you have previously agreed, we should use our gifts to the betterment of humanity. No one has the gifts that you have, Fiona, and in all my years I've never seen anyone with the potential that you possess. It's time to use that potential, for the betterment of us all, don't you think?"

  "You know," Fiona said and paused, wondering to herself what Abigail's agenda might be.

  "I know what?"

  "About my birth," Fiona answered and watched Abigail's face closely.

  "Yes," Abigail replied instantly.

  "My father told you."

  "No, it wasn't your father; it seems that was the one thing he wanted to keep a secret, for good. The reason he kept you secret from all of us, until now, of course. It was Professor Dowling that shared the good news. He's a big fan."

  "And you want to use my gifts to help the cause?" Fiona asked without sarcasm.

  "Most certainly. First of all, we'd like to establish your potential and then help you to realize that potential and achieve your goals, in whatever way you wish to define them for yourself. As you can see, all our high-tech, top of the line gizmos are here at your disposal. We are here to serve you, not the other way around."