In Absentia (Paragon)

[Legione Sumus]

Ephraim Haart

Ephraim’s office in the Paragon building boasted an impressive skyline view, though it was one he presently ignored in favour of the holoscreens littering his desk. His legs were propped comfortably, his shirtsleeves rolled back, but a twitch in his jaw betrayed his consternation. Rafael Janssen had failed to show for his last eval meeting. So far the subject showed no indication of Sickness, which might have been hailed a full success, except psych seemed concerned for his welfare and had wanted to delay the publication of the paper. Given the revolutionary nature of it, Ephraim was content to err on the side of caution. Not least because the experiments on the tech’s progenitor were thus far inconclusive. As yet, they had not tried to replicate the process.

There was no reason to think Janssen’s depression was because of the experimental procedure, but since the follow-up tests were ongoing, it couldn’t exactly be ruled out either. Crucially, he hadn’t actually used the power since, or at least so far as could be discerned. It was what the team was waiting for, being as it would definitively prove him cured. The scientists all agreed that Janssen’s last bout of Sickness should have killed him – and Ephraim had seen that with his own eyes. But they needed to be sure before they announced something like this to the world.

A sweep of the subject's usual accommodations and a conversation with his boss had revealed he had taken a leave of absence from work. The clean-up team emptied out his tiny box room to ensure no proprietary information had been left where it might be found. Now they just had to secure the man himself.

[[continued from the events in Lyaeus]]

[Legione Sumus]

Ephraim Haart

When the subject was eventually recovered, he was in a poor state.

Paragon handled the employer. The last thing they needed was undue concern, or a missing persons report, and the next of kin listed on Janssen’s paperwork suggested it was better to smooth the absence before it became a problem. Not that all this hadn’t been covered in the waiver signed at the onset of the trial – it wasn’t legality that was the issue, just a desire to avoid a fuss.

Ephraim let his people negotiate the clean-up. It was hardly the first time, and thus he had a skilled team to enact all the subtle measures necessary. He didn’t spend any time worrying over it.

Janssen was back in the labs. Alive, which is about as much as could be said for his welfare. Cured or not, this wasn’t a marketable success. Ephraim poured over the reports with a frown, spending many a long night in the office. Meanwhile, Visha had been turned over to Müller, and believing the scientist was studying her to discover a cure for her poisoned skin, she was surprisingly cooperative to the idea. The doctor had already sequenced and experimented on her DNA before (that being years ago, and without him ever being permitted to meet the source at the time), but Ephraim wanted more now. His desire for answers burned – because this felt like something. He scoured the Network, tapped every contact he possessed among the di inferi, but it was only once he assigned Müller – the only channeler on his staff – to investigate Janssen that the pieces fit together. It wasn’t the doctor’s usual work – he was a geneticist. But he found the answer Paragon’s other scientists had failed to.

Rafael Janssen had not been cured of the Sickness. He had been entirely severed from his ability to channel.

It was an outcome that zipped a thrill through Ephraim's chest. But it was dangerous knowledge too. Part of Paragon’s success was how well it worked with the government on endeavours of a more clandestine nature. Which was to say the Custody paid very well for works concerning channeling, and also silence on those discoveries when necessary. Müller's silence was assured – the man did not care for politics, he just wanted to be allowed to do as he wished with his experiments, a sanctuary Paragon provided with very little overview of ethics. Securing their hold on Visha would be paramount, of course, though there was no indication she could do such a thing naturally. Just a synthesis of her blood with other patented Paragon technology. None of the reports included that the proprietary ingredient was biological in origin.

He spent all that morning in meetings with Custody officials, negotiating terms. The trial's publication would be quashed, reported a failure amongst the many others that had investigated the Sickness and failed before them. The di inferi already had what they needed, of course, though many of his colleagues would be disinterested beyond the question of whether what could be revoked could perhaps also be transferred. Investigations for another day. Ephraim wished he could witness the Ascendancy's reaction when he received the news – that his god-given immortality was not assured – but it was undoubtedly for the best that he did not. Paragon cooperated wholeheartedly, as it always did. By that afternoon, Janssen was transferred to the Facility.

[Raffe]

[[continued at Rock Bottom]]