Part 16.2 Canaries, UFOs and Tumors.

We live in a big world made small with connections. With this electronic world the concept of six degrees of separation seems antiquated. Dr. Noire and I made small talk and realised we had many of these connections. We were both a member of the Guardian Channel, a loosely aligned group of heroes that had a Com Unit band that announced serious threats to the city. Since giant robots or monsters don 't pop up all the time the conversation on the channel usually turned to food, especially cookies. She frequently lectures at Brown School of Medicine about Pediatrics and knows my best friend Tess St. John-Smythe. She and Dr. Fransisco have extensively researched children and metahuman powers. Noire a renowned pediatric specialist and Dr. Fransisco author of Patient A: Child with Metapowers, required reading for government workers and scientists working with superheroes. It was a ground breaking book about the physiologic and psychologic effects of powers on children. He had since put out many more: all the way to Patient K. I was the anonymous Patient A.

"So you are "A"?" she smiled. I could tell she wanted to ask questions about the book. But she held back.

Embarassed I answered, "Yeah, that's me. Been a long time since I thought about that book."

"Wow, not me I've read it cover to cover so many times. It helped me decide to be a hero." I looked at her puzzled. "After my accident, the one that gave me powers, I became depressed, confused. I didn't know what to do. Dr. Fransisco and I knew each other from conferences and he gave me that book. Since I'd worked with children he thought the story would help me cope with my ordeal. He said, 'Read about this brave little girl. It will change your life.' and I did and it......you did........"

"But I spent my adolescence and teen years suppressing my powers. That is what the book is about. Running away from what had happened." I interjected.

"Oh, no,no,no," she interupted "You were so brave. You made a choice and you fought so hard to control your powers. I know how hard that is. It took you so much will power to make that choice. No, Amanda, you were brave.....so strong. You should be proud."

A tear welled up in my eye. "It was never my choice. I know the book was anonymous, but now that you know my name I think you will realize who I am and how that decision was made for me by birthright." I watched as the wheels began to turn and I saw the moment she figured out who I was and from what family. It's the same everytime. Confusion, disbelief and sometimes even resentment. As I awaited the questions or comments about my family something strange happened. She smiled and began laughing. She hugged me again. (What was with her and hugging?)

"I love irony!" she exploded. "You were even braver than I thought! Coming from that family and having super powers. Lord knows what you went through. And look at you today, one of the cities finest heroes......" And then it hit her and it hit me. Why we were here. There was a slight pause as we both looked down. Her mood changed and her voice went from the bubbly bedside voice (Oh Mr. and Mrs. So-and-so I'm Dr. Noire) to the serious practitioner (I hate to inform you but your child has a terminal disease).

"We don't know what it is, Amanda. I've looked at your x-rays and I can't....it can't be explained. It could just be that your powers are mutating. I mean you are now doing things you learned to do late in your career. That could be it, just a steady progression......."

"What makes a tumor that size move across my brain without leaving me in a vegatative state or dead?"

"I don't know."

"What makes a person wake up after three days with no memory?" my tone became tense..

"Look, your powers eminate from parts of your brain that deal with spacial relationships. Maybe, your brain moved the tumor. Some type of teleportation......" She was stretching. I could see it. And she knew it. "Maybe this shift in your brain caused you to blackout."

"And the break in at my apartment? How do you explain that?"

"No one can explain that. No witnesses. No evidence. Amanda, you can't rule out the fact that......." I knew what was coming.

"Me? You think I did that? Broke into my own home and....."

"No, no, hun I didn't say I thought that. As scientists you know we can't rule that out."

I became shaken for the first time since I woke up in that bunker. The emotions finally came pouring in. It was heavy. It was all I could take to hold back the tidal wave of tears that were building. "What happened to me, Noire?"

"I guess it's just a UFO." WHAT???

"A flying saucer? Aliens? What are you talking about." Hearing my question again she laughed and again she hugged me.

"Oh, my, Amanda I'm sorry. It's an expression of mine. When you say UFO people always assume you are talking about little green men in a saucer, but what it really means is something that you see but can't explain. You know unidentified flying object. That's all it means. For years the government used it to term things they couldn't explain. And until the Rikti Invasion we were all left wondering if strange things really happened. Sure there were occurances that couldn't be explained and sure we knew there were heroes out there, but it all seemed to be something off in the distance. In my pursuits in science anytime I can't solve something I call it a UFO. Amanda, all I can tell you is that we don't know what it is. I'm sorry."

I stared at the floor: disappointment, sadness and fear swirled in my mind. This wasn't the news I wanted to hear.

"Maybe you should take a break. You look worn. Forget about this for a while. I promise I will look into it some more. Look, we don't know what we are dealing with here. This could be nothing but your powers natural progression or it could be a global conspiracy. We just don't know. But what I do know is you can't take much more. Get some rest. Go somewhere; get away from all of this. Just for a little while."

"I'll try."