Chromatophobia

by W D County

  He prepared slides from the skin sample and examined them under a variety of digital microscopes, including ones with polarizing filters and those with confocal laser scans. He studied the monitors with the scopes at various magnifications up to 1000x, searching for anomalies in cell structure. Other than being gray, everything he saw looked normal. What he didn’t see grabbed his attention.

  The epidermis is host to over a thousand species of skin microbiota. Most of the microorganisms are bacteria, although fungi and occasional mites are often present. Barry’s skin sample contained no microbes of any type. Cleaning and swabbing Barry’s skin with alcohol prior to taking the sample could not have removed all traces of microscopic flora.

  Doc pulled out earlier samples and began rechecking hair, skin, saliva, urine, blood, and feces. The feces showed the presence of beneficial intestinal flora, nothing harmful or even neutral. The other samples were sterile, cleaner than surgical instruments fresh from an autoclave.

  The taint apparently worked better than UV lights and decon showers for decontamination. Did it have other medicinal benefits? What about the grayed samples themselves—did they retain antiseptic qualities?

  He eyed the rats and the rhesus monkey in their cages. A dozen exciting experiments came to mind, banishing the remnants of gloomy frustration. He began to whistle.

  ***

  As Sonja saw it, the optical properties of the taint, including the concurrent graying of its environs, should be the team’s primary area of investigation. The magnetic properties of the taint represented a secondary area of investigation. Tertiary matters included the geometry of the tesseract and the disappearance of the Antarctic explorers, but phenomena that no longer existed didn’t lend themselves to investigation.

  Focusing on optics, she listed on her notepad the specific observed phenomena that a working hypothesis of the taint needed to explain:

  the bleaching effect spreads throughout an enclosed space without regard for geometry

  opaque enclosures provide protection from the bleaching effect

  the bleaching effect follows an inverse-square law for distance from the taint

  the bleaching effect occurs in direct proportion to ambient light level

  the surface area of the taint grows in proportion to the loss of color around it

  reflected views of the taint appear in grayscale

  reflected views of the patient’s untainted skin appear in grayscale

  The last observation bothered her. The other six might be explained by a new form of radiation given off by the taint. The radiation stimulated the optic nerve into seeing color that wasn’t there. The radiation wasn’t reflected by mirrors.

  But that hypothesis couldn’t explain why the patient’s untainted skin appeared in normal flesh tones when viewed directly, yet appeared gray when viewed by reflection. The facts seemed irreconcilable. The patient’s body was simultaneously gray and not gray.

  Subatomic particles exhibited multiple simultaneous states of existence; this was a well-known (and quite puzzling) property of quantum mechanics. But the property only occurred at the smallest scale of reality and persisted only as long as the particle was not directly observed. Barry didn’t fit the criteria.

  She decided to temporarily ignore observation number seven on her list in order to develop a working hypothesis to cover the other observations. Suppose the taint emitted a new type of radiation—call it K-rays—and these rays stimulated an observer’s retinal cells and photocells in the same manner as visible light. Assume that K-ray stimulation produced a scintillating color image sufficient to conceal the gray image carried by the weaker visible light. K-rays could travel through any transparent medium but were absorbed by any opaque object. K-rays could not be reflected.

  She considered the hypothesis and nodded to herself. The hypothesis suggested that the bleaching effect resulted from the interaction of K-rays with opaque matter. So far, so good, as none of the assumptions violated the laws of physics. But the hypothesis failed to explain why the taint grew in surface area as it drained color, and it failed to explain why the absorption rate depended on ambient light levels. The taint became dormant in the dark, even though it remained visible. She needed to tweak her hypothesis.

  The correlation between growth of the taint and the bleaching of surrounding color implied a causal connection. But after the taint emitted a K-ray (or K particle), interaction with the source ought to be severed, especially since reflection had already been ruled out.

  An epiphany hit. The K-rays and particles were quantum entangled with the taint! The property of entanglement, which Einstein called “spooky action at a distance,” created an instantaneous bond between particles that ignored distance. It was as though the head and tail of a coin could be separated and moved through space, yet flipping one side instantly flipped the other side as well; they remained connected. They remained a single coin.

  If K-rays were quantum entangled with the taint, then the graying process of the rays would be simultaneously matched by the colorizing process of the taint. Sonja smiled as her hypothesis stepped toward becoming a fully coherent theory.

  Next issue: why did the K-rays depend on existing illumination? Maybe they couldn’t travel independently, but rode light rays “piggyback” style. Ambient illumination formed a scalar field; the denser that field, the more K-rays were supported, and hence more graying would occur. Dimmer light supported fewer K-rays and less graying.

  The validity of a theory depended on its explanatory and predictive value. The K-radiation hypothesis explained a good bit about the taint, and it offered several avenues for making predictions that could be experimentally verified. She looked around the lab and found what she needed to construct a convincing “black box” experiment. By dinnertime she’d be able to reduce Doc’s argument for biological infection to utter nonsense.

  But she still had to explain observation number seven. How could Barry’s untainted skin appear normal when viewed directly, yet appear gray when viewed by reflection?

  Chapter 15

  Upon entering the vault, Nathan remained near the airlock, as far from Barry as possible, yet near one of the cameras to ensure the test was recorded. Despite the lack of a spellbound audience, he felt exhilarated, as if he were about to author one of the most significant chapters of history. The only irritation was Miles, who stuck to him like a shadow.

  “Good morning, Barry. Remember the Zener cards I mentioned yesterday?”

  The patient muttered, “How could I forget.” It wasn’t a question.

  Nathan opened the deck and held the cards up for Barry to see. “There are five different cards. A single yellow line that forms a circle, two red lines forming a cross, three blue wavy lines, four black lines making a square, and five green lines forming a star. There are five of each card in the deck. I’ll pull a card at random, and you tell me the color and shape.” He lowered the deck out of Barry’s sight and turned over the first card. “Go.”

  “If I play along, will you do me a favor?”

  Nathan looked up. “Maybe. What’s the favor?”

  “Do the Zener card test on Zita.”

  Miles grumbled, and Nathan turned to him. “Something wrong, soldier?”

  “No.”

  He turned his attention back to Barry. “Sure. This evening, if she has no objections.”

  Barry smiled. “The card shows blue waves.”

  Correct. Nathan flipped the next card over.

  “Green star.”

  Also correct, as were the next eight responses. The cards had begun to fade as the taint absorbed their colors, but they remained good for a few more rounds.

  Nathan closed his eyes and turned over the next card. “Go.”

  “Red cross.”

  Nathan opened his eyes and smiled. “Correct.”

  Seven more tries with eyes closed produced seven more correct responses, which confirmed Barry wasn’t using telepathy. Nathan put the deck in his pocke
t and approached Barry, ignoring a warning from Miles.

  “That’s a nice Bible. You’re lucky Gordon let you keep it.”

  Barry shrugged. “From his perspective, the damage was done. There wasn’t much color to begin with.” Barry seemed to stare through Nathan’s protective mask and dark glasses. “I know what you want. Are you brave enough to go after it?”

  The question caught him unprepared. He hadn’t considered the powers might be dangerous. “I just want to understand how you do what you do.”

  “No, you want to be able to do those things yourself.” Barry’s lips stopped moving, but his voice continued. Things like this. Things I can teach you.

  Nathan froze, then glanced at Miles, who clearly hadn’t heard the soundless voice. Nathan shook his head to dispel the rants of an overactive imagination.

  It’s not your imagination. Barry’s unsettling smile sent a shudder down Nathan’s spine.

  “You okay?” Miles asked, hand inching toward his gun.

  “Yes. Of course.” He avoided looking at Barry and picked up his cards. “Time to go.”

  They exited the vault and found Laura sitting at the console. “Congratulations,” she said. “Impressive results.”

  “I’m not finished. I need to do the same test from out here.” Nathan removed his protective clothing and, in the process, discovered the Zener cards were too faded to be of further use. “I need to get my other deck. I’ll be back in a few.”

  ***

  Laura took advantage of the delay. She set her Pavlok to deliver a shock every ten minutes and then donned a set of protective clothing. Miles had remained suited up, his belt bristling with pistol, Taser, Mace, and cuffs. She wondered what the man was thinking, what made him so afraid of Barry. It normally wouldn’t matter, but pathological fear coupled with lethal weapons foretold disaster to which tasering and handcuffing Barry were mere preludes.

  “Wait outside, Miles. I’ll only be with Barry for a few minutes.”

  “After the stunt you pulled? Fat chance.” He punched in the access code.

  When the outer hatch opened, she stepped inside the airlock and blocked his entry. “Seriously, I don’t want you near Barry while I’m here.”

  “He’s dangerous.”

  “I don’t even want you in the observation area. Give me thirty minutes of complete privacy.”

  Miles barked a laugh. “That would be dereliction of duty. Best I can do is wait in the airlock.” He looked over his shoulder. “Hold up. Boss just walked in.” Miles pulled off his facemask and walked away. Laura watched from the open door.

  “Miles,” Gordon said, “Zita needs you to open the security office. Says she needs access to all the video footage of Barry and of the tesseract.”

  “Later,” Miles grumbled. “Ms. Dubov is going inside.”

  “I’ll take care of that.”

  “The patient’s dangerous. Zita—Ms. Ferrari—can wait.”

  “Go open the office.” Gordon gave a sly grin. “I thought you’d jump at the chance to babysit her.” When Miles didn’t move, the grin vanished. “This isn’t a request.”

  Miles marched to the undressing area and stripped off the protective clothes. He left the observation room without another word, though his body language shouted I’m pissed off.

  Gordon looked up. “Laura, you have your cell phone?”

  “Under the coveralls.” She waited for the purpose of his question.

  “Good. After I let you in, I’m going back to my office. Call me when you’re finished.”

  Was she ready, really ready, to be alone with Barry? “Fine,” she said.

  “Don’t take his cuffs off,” he said sternly. He waved her inside the airlock and closed the outer door remotely. A moment later the inner door clicked open and she stepped through. She jumped as it closed with a heavy thud, and cringed as the locking bolts snapped into place.

  Gordon’s voice came over the speakers. “If things get out of hand, hit the emergency button next to the keypad.”

  The bold, red, oversized button beckoned. “I’ll be fine,” she said, but the tremor in her voice betrayed a feeling of anxiety. She’d been locked inside the lion’s cage. She hoped the lion wasn’t hungry.

  Barry regarded her from bed. “You’re not exactly Daniel in the lion’s den.” He rattled the cuffs on his shackled wrist.

  How odd that he guessed my thought. Or not so odd, given his proclivity for Bible references.

  With his free hand, Barry held up the Bible. “I want to thank you again for this.” He paused as if collecting his thoughts. “We spoke earlier of Joseph, his coat of many colors, and his ability to interpret dreams.”

  Had giving him the Bible been a mistake? In conjunction with Nathan’s successful tests, Bible stories might encourage a delusion of having divine powers. “Let’s talk about your dreams.”

  “What are dreams but projections of the subconscious mind? For some people, they reveal innermost desires.” He smiled, bringing a rush of heat to her face. “For others, dreams reveal their deepest fears. For a very few, a glimpse of the future.”

  She shook her head. “Dream interpretation is like astrology. Human beings are wired to see patterns. There’s even a name for it: pareidolia. With vague descriptions and a few educated guesses, charlatans can seem very convincing.”

  “I’m a charlatan? The mind is more powerful than the body. You know that.”

  John’s words from her dream. The exact words. How could Barry know? How could he know? She shuddered. Barry must have somehow planted the words in her mind. The taint, or whatever chemical or process the government was testing, must have a hypnotic component, making them all susceptible to Barry’s suggestions. This was incredibly dangerous.

  She had to warn Gordon. If reality, hallucinations, and false memories blurred together, they could end up trapped in a mental maze, unable to find or even recognize a way out. Had she set her shock watch?

  Barry’s face turned serious. “Don’t be afraid, Laura. I’m the one who’s trapped, not you.”

  She found her voice emerged higher than expected. “Not trapped, merely isolated while we study the taint.” If she could hypnotize Barry, get beneath his emotional defenses, she’d be well underway to understanding him. And hopefully, the taint.

  “You’ve given it a name. Names are powerful, Laura. How did you pick ‘taint’?”

  Why am I so tense? She forced her breathing to slow. He was a patient. Keep calm, keep engaged. “Naming the coloration is practically the only point of consensus of the team. We can’t seem to agree on what it is.”

  Barry frowned. “Isn’t it clear?”

  “Hardly. Five specialists, five competing theories, with evidence to support each one.”

  His voice rose. “Are you all atheists? Does being an expert in some field require rejection of God’s existence and His power to bestow miracles?”

  She didn’t respond. Deeply held beliefs rarely, if ever, responded to rational debate. Arguing would only alienate him. Her patience paid off.

  “Sorry, Laura. I shouldn’t vent on the one person who’s shown compassion.”

  “It’s all right.” She placed a gloved hand on Barry’s untainted one. “Your isolation, the constant testing, is hard on you. Venting is natural. I don’t take it personally.”

  “Even Job complained. But harder on you is the loss of your husband.”

  Her hand froze in place.

  Barry continued, “Depression is a feeling of helplessness. I recognize the feeling in you, the grief you try to hold at bay through activities as you strive to be helpful, to have purpose. I recognize your feelings because I have them, too. I think we can help each other.”

  “How?” she asked warily.

  “I’m beginning to see things clearly, Laura. Visions of the future. Revelations of knowledge far beyond our wildest conjectures. Nothing ever dies. I need to share my visions with the world. If you help me, I’ll make sure that you and John are together
again.”

  An icy shiver shook her body. “How did you know my husband’s name?” She stared at him in fear and anger. The taint seemed to stare back, swirling, swirling, swirling.

  “You told me. In your dream.”

  “That’s impossible.” I should be watching his eyes, his face, for body language. She stared at the patterns of colors. Like art, they evoked feelings, deep feelings of love and longing. Feelings that hurt enough for her to pull away.

  “With God, all things are possible. Would you like to see John again?”

  She refused to answer. Why was he tormenting her like this? “Barry, hypnosis has proved to be a useful tool for uncovering memories suppressed by trauma. I’d like to try—”

  An unexpected voice startled her. “Wow. Barry did it. Hello, Laura.”

  She whirled around. John stood there, dressed in his gray funeral suit, but looking healthy and a bit younger than when last he was alive. His brown hair had shed its touch of gray, and his pink skin denied the pallid, sunken look she remembered.

  “Is it really you?” John said. It was his voice. No mistaking it.

  This isn’t happening. “Barry... how are you doing this?”

  “I owed you a gift.”

  “He can’t be real.”

  “Touch him.”

  Laura took a step and reached out. She felt his clothes, then his skin—his warm, soft skin. The room spun and she would have fallen if not for his strong arms that caught and steadied her. Tears came unbidden and she pressed her face into his chest. “John, my John. How... how...” But she really didn’t care how. What mattered was now.

  Chapter 16

  Steampunk met me outside the security office. She smiled sweetly, not that she needed to. “I want to examine all the surveillance records that show the taint, but the console in the observation room only shows the last twenty-four hours. Gordon says the older videos are archived here but he wouldn’t let me in by myself so he said he’d have you chaperone me.”