The Gifted (ONC 2023)

Chapter 9 Revelation

"Any idea what it is about?" Toni asked as they walked into the gym.

Aleks shrugged. "No idea. I suspect they will give an official statement about Concetta's state. All we heard so far were just rumours going around." She spotted Diego sitting among the newest recruits in the back row and steered her steps towards him. He looked lonely, and she didn't need to see his yellowish aura to sense his apprehension.

"Hi," she said and sat next to him. "How are you doing?"

He turned to her, surprised. "Aleks, hi. I'm... good, I think?"

"Well, that's better than 'this place sucks', so I take it," she replied with a small smile.

Diego smiled, too and rubbed his neck. "I'm just surprised you're talking to me. I acted like an ungrateful brat the last time we talked. Sorry about that."

"Yeah, blaming Aleks for saving your life was a bit of a dick move," Toni quipped from his place on the other side of Aleks.

"Toni!"

"No, he's right. I was just so confused I forgot all my manners. I'm truly sorry for that."

"It's fine. No harm done."

"Maybe I can buy you a coffee sometime? As an apology, that is," Diego added hastily.

Aleks' heart fluttered in her chest, and her cheeks burned. "Sure, why not."

Before Diego could respond, Stephen and Zeleke walked into the gym, and the chatter died down. Aleks still caught Toni making a vomiting motion, and she elbowed him, focusing her attention on GSO leaders.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Stephen started, eyes sweeping through the rows of chairs. "I'm sure everyone heard about the recent rise of deviant activity, the kidnappings and our recent scuffle with the Rioters." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts and continued. "Our dear colleague, Concetta, is still in a coma, but her state is currently stable, so we hope she will get back to us quickly. However, her alignment and the results from the autopsy of deceased deviants gave us some new insights that we thought you all need to hear immediately."

A murmur spread through the audience as gifted shuffled on their seats restlessly. It didn't sound like good news, and everyone in the gym could sense it. Stephen gestured to Zeleke, and she nodded, taking a step forward.

"As you all know, our Research and Development department works tirelessly on learning as much about our gifts as possible, but it's still a fairly new field to explore. But with Rioters already running experimental drug trials on gifted, we focused on analysing the deceased deviants to discover why the drug causing their talent to combust always resulted in certain death." She paused for a moment and pushed her glasses up her nose. "But what we learned is alarming, so we decided to share this with you all as soon as possible."

More nervous whispers spread through the audience. Aleks observed as auras turned from focus and contented blues and greens into anxious yellow and oranges.

Zeleke took a breath and continued. "After a series of tests and experiments, we've received definite results confirming our hypothesis that the usage of our special gifts is directly connected to our lifespan." She paused and looked at the faces of the gathered people. "More precisely, the more we use our powers, the greater strain on our bodies. That's why every deviant that used the Rioters drug, increasing the intensity of the gifts, died shortly after the great power surge."

Her announcement was met with a stunned silence, but it quickly filled with gasps, cries of outrage and questions shouted by many people at once.

Stephen took a step forward and raised his hands to silence the crowd. "Please, everyone, calm down. We know it comes as a shock to you all. We were just as surprised, trust me. But I want you to know that we learned about it a few hours ago and decided to share this information immediately. When we created GSO, we did not know that using our gifts would come with such a high cost. That's why we want all of you to reconsider your position in our agency.

"Rest assured that we will not force anyone to put their life on the line for the greater good. I'm sure this information won't make much difference to many of you. Plenty of you doesn't even need to use your gifts excessively to help with agency work. But I'm addressing especially field agents. Take some time off to consider your options." He looked at Zeleke, and she gave him a curt nod. "Our R&D team sent the full reports of their findings to all of you, so you can learn all the details before making your decision.

"Don't be afraid to leave the agency if that's best for you. Your life is the most precious thing you have. There will be no hard feelings and no repercussions from GSO. We will write a glowing recommendation to anyone who decides to leave and pursue safer working methods." He sighed and looked through the audience. "You are all dear friends to us, so please take care of yourselves. There is no rush to make your decision. We'll support you whatever you decide."

Stephen and Zeleke kept talking for a while longer, explaining the details and plans for how the agency would work from now on with consideration of putting limits on gift usage, but Aleks barely heard a word, as her mind was racing. It made so much sense. Unlike Antoni and the other top field agents, she didn't use much of her power. They often landed in the medical centre with symptoms of exhaustion or fainting episodes after particularly demanding training.

It also explained what happened to Concetta. She used so much power to contain the exploding deviant that it almost wholly drained her, leaving her on life support. The implications of this discovery were hard to swallow.

Aleks found Toni's hand and squeezed it. She felt like she should say something but was at a loss for words. But her twin knew what was on her mind.

"Well... shit."