BRAINSTORM

Chapter Nineteen - Deficit of courage.

Jack let himself out and crossed the campus back to his apartment. He had just walked in when his phone rang. It was Ellen.

"Hey, do you mind if I come over?"

"I'm not really in the best mood."

"Maybe I can cheer you up."

"Ellen, I'm sorry. I'm so busy with work, I don't have much time."

"All I want is tonight, Jack."

Jack raked his fingers through his hair. "You sure?"

"I'm sure."

Her tone was emphatic and Jack believed her. "Okay, then come on over."

"I'll be there in ten minutes. I want to take you someplace."

~~~

"Are you sure we won't be spied on?" Jack asked as Ellen smuggled him through the wooden door.

"Not everywhere is bugged, just most places. You're lucky you're with me because I know which ones are and which ones aren't." She tilted her head sideways and parted her lips.

He found himself unable to resist. "Guess I'll have to trust you."

Ellen took his hand and pulled him all the way inside. As they entered the room, Jack recognized it was one of the surprising places of beauty found within CIRAS.

"Wait here for a minute," Ellen said. "I'll be right back." She walked behind a bamboo wardrobe screen that had a cedar hot tub in front of it.

As candles flickered, the walls blushed amber. The water in the tub flashed unpredictable reflections on its surface. The effect was intoxicating.

Ellen walked back into the room. She wore a mint-colored silk robe and gold high-heeled sandals that tied around her ankles.

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you."

"How did a place like this end up at CIRAS?"

"Dr. Jameson did it. He always hated that CIRAS had no warmth to it, so he made places like this. He designed the courtyard, too."

From what Jack had seen of Jameson's apartment that made sense. Jack pictured him as a professor at his alma mater, Harvard. He would fit better there than he did here. But he wasn't thinking about Jameson for long. "Are you sure no one saw us come this way?"

"Stop worrying, Jack. You said you'd trust me." Ellen reached around her waist to untie the robe.

~~~

Jack sank deep into the tub and allowed his entire body to relax. Ellen sat next to him, neck deep in the steaming water. "That was nice."

"Yes, it was. Thank you."

Jack looked at Ellen to try to read her expression, seemed like she was telling the truth but he couldn't be sure.

"What exactly do you do here at CIRAS besides welcome the residents?"

Ellen laughed, her voice throaty and satisfied. "That was abrupt. Do you really want to know?"

"Yeah, I do."

She seemed to stiffen up as she answered. "Officially, I'm the personal assistant to Dr. Maxwell. But I do other things too, like running a meeting here and there. And like you said, I welcome the new residents."

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Sure," she said but her mouth twitched with apprehension.

"What do you know about what is actually going on here?"

Ellen moved away from him. "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed things are a little odd around here? All the surveillance and the fact that no one ever sees a single member of Tabula Rasa—isn't that strange to you?"

"I know it's a little weird, Jack. But you shouldn't question it. You really shouldn't. You might . . ." 

He finished her sentence. "Get hurt?"

She nodded.

"I have a feeling that if I do, I won't be the first one. I think the TR members are being manipulated against their will."

Without a word, Ellen pulled herself over the edge of the tub and reached for a towel. She dried off meticulously without looking at him once.

He could tell she knew something and didn't want to talk about it. "Ellen . . ."

"What?" She wrapped the towel around her body and tucked in the loose end. "I was getting too hot in the tub."

"Ignoring things doesn't make them go away."

"I know. It's just that, if something is really wrong, if people are getting hurt, I don't know what we could do without . . ." She didn't finish. "You don't know Sco—Dr. Maxwell. He's not right. I think he might be mentally unstable."

Jack came over to her and placed his hands over her elbows. "Could we live with ourselves if we don't try to help?"

Ellen looked up at him, and he hated the answer he saw in her eyes. He was immediately less attracted to her.  Without comment he kissed her lightly on the cheek, turned away, dried off, and got dressed. He felt her eyes on his back as he left.