Synaptic

The assignment asked students to write a short story at least ten pages in length. Owen’s story kept the class engaged with its shifting action and cocky narrator.

– Prof. Cathy Haustein

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“Good morning, Agent Carter. You look extra perky today!” the security guard exclaimed to me at the front gate.

“Well, it’s task assignment day, Demi, and I’ve caught the last 3 evos they’ve thrown at me, so I’m expecting a challenge this time,” I replied, unable to hold back my grin.

“Haha, don’t get cocky on me now, Carter!” said Demi. “Well, good luck with your assignment, and you have a good day. He is good to go!”

*BRZZZZT*

The officer in the guardhouse opened the gate, waving me through at Demi’s clearance.

“Thank you! You have a great day as well, Demi,” I chimed back.

As I drove to my usual spot, which is about as far back as the parking lot offers, I laughed at the bother I used to think it was. I hopped out of the car and cheerfully slammed the door. If all went as expected, this would be my last day parking out here. As I began my trek to the tower, I noticed it did not look nearly as lengthy today. In fact, nothing looked that bad today. I passed the TRIDENT fountain and tossed my penny in for good luck. Most employees do that on their first day at the office, but I have made sure to throw one in every day.

When I reached the front door, I glanced up at the trident-shaped tower, and a sense of pride washed over me. Today was the day when my dream would finally come to fruition. Ever since I was little, all I’ve wanted was to put away the evolved humans that endangered the rest of us with their reckless behavior and insatiable pursuit of power. No more low-level telekinetics or evos with heightened senses; I had earned the right for something big.

I laid my hand on the DNA scanner at the front door. The pinch normally aggravates me after my hike to the building, but today it only heightened my anticipation for the day. We used to have just a face scan, but a shapeshifter break-in a few months back led to a new protocol. The shapeshifters can copy someone’s face to every minute detail, but the core principles of their DNA remain the same, leading security to develop the DNA scan.

Shapeshifters are notorious for their ability to avoid TRIDENT agents. The public overlooks their abilities, but they are a top priority at TRIDENT. If handled poorly, a shapeshifter can make an agent go mad. It is one thing to hunt something you cannot see, but when everything you see could be what you’re after, your mind can slip away easily. The security system cleared my DNA, opening the secondary door. The lobby was playing the same announcement that repeats every day:

Welcome to TRIDENT, the Tactical Response and Incarceration Division for Evolved Natural Threats. TRIDENT remains the wall between order and chaos. Our agents fight tirelessly to identify, neutralize, and contain evo humans, preventing their tyranny from ever rising again. At TRIDENT, evolution is not something we fear; it’s something we control.

I took my usual spot in the conference room for task assignments, standing in the back with the other agents who did not expect much. However, this time I did not share their sentiment. I had proved myself as an agent, and the senior agents knew I was up for a challenge. My last task, a low-level telekinetic named Cyclone, took me only 3 days to catch. Cyclone had been terrorizing the Mott Haven district in the Bronx for months, using his telekinesis to create a tornado of bullets to frighten rival gang members and civilians alike into handing over whatever he pleased. After studying him for a couple of days, I realized his powers limited him to ruling with fear rather than true ability. Although his demonstration intimidated many, he was limited by the power of his telekinesis. Cyclone was not able to generate enough speed with the bullets to do more harm than a bruise, and he was just lucky no one ever called his bluff before me. When I discerned his inadequacies, I simply walked right up to the haughty evo and cuffed him. By the time he had realized I’d seen his cards, it was too late for him.

“Agents!” General Knight addressed the conference room, strutting up to the front podium. “Today is assignment day, as I am sure you all are well aware. In this meeting, any of you who are worth a darn will be allotted an evo-human to track down and neutralize. To be quite frank with you, I do not care if they end up in this prison, or 6 feet under. They just need to be off the streets. You all, of all people, know the damage that they can do.”

The general’s word sent me back in time to a place I had hoped to never return to. I had tried relentlessly to erase the image of her lifeless body from my mind, to no avail. At every mention of an evo’s wrongdoing, the whisp of her last breath floods my mind. What almost haunts me more than the sight of my mom’s blank stare was the soulless eyes of her killer, an evo named Apex, who had deemed himself the apex predator. My mom and I were not targeted. Apex just killed to kill, like it was his instinct. Why Apex let me live that day… I had no idea. It was on that day, though, that I realized what my purpose in life would be.

Apex was arguably the most powerful evo in history, with the ability to steal other evos’ powers with a single touch. At TRIDENT, we call evos like Apex mimics. According to our records, he was the only known mimic in the world. The day TRIDENT agents managed to kill Apex, August 24th, is a national holiday today.

General Knight had presented nearly all the agents’ new tasks by the time I snapped out of my trance. For a second, I thought I missed mine.

“Agent Carter!” boomed the general. “Step forward and get your next assignment.”

I made my way to the front of the conference room, every step of mine echoing against the walls. My pulse accelerated as I got closer to the general.

“Carter,” Knight said, his eyes giving me one last scan as if double-checking that I was capable of my assignment, “you will be tasked with Shifter. Shifter should not need much introduction around here, as you can thank him for the fancy, new security system you walk through every day. Had we not found him before he entered the prison, who knows if there would even be anything for security to protect anymore. As you already know, Shifter is a high-level shapeshifter who has caused more operational setbacks than any evo this side of the country. He has eluded more agents this year than most evos combined. To be honest, part of me is just giving you this task to see if the other side of your brain still works.”

Silence swallowed the room whole. I expected a challenge. I figured I would get a high-level speedster or maybe Elemental, who could control the elements, but I did not expect Shifter. Shifter was a top-tier evo. He has been one of TRIDENT’s most wanted ever since his twin, Shape, was caught.

“Shifter is a problem,” continued Knight, “He is incredibly clever. It is impossible to tell if he operates alone because you hardly ever know who he even is. I know you are confident, kid, but I also know you’re smart. So do us all a favor and don’t underestimate what he can do.”

He stood there for a second and stared intensely at me. With a flick of his hand, he adjourned the meeting. The room cleared out in a heartbeat, leaving me alone with only my thoughts and the knot in my stomach. I exhaled, letting the weight of the assignment sink in and settling myself down. I had no time to panic, though. This is what I have always wanted. Cases like this are what I have trained for.

A chance to prove myself.

I went back to my office to spend some time familiarizing myself with Shifter’s case. I spread his case files across my desk, covering every square inch. Each folder was labeled SHIFTER: HIGH PRIORITY/HIGH-THREAT in bold red ink. The expanse of the files was an astonishing physical representation of Shifter’s formidability. TRIDENT has been chasing him for years, every page serving as a testimony of his cunning, full of psychological warfare that left even the best agents questioning reality.

The first report I read came from a TRIDENT surveillance mission. An agent had tracked Shifter all the way to Chicago, waiting for a big break. The night they finally thought they had him, he disappeared into a crowded restaurant, with no sign of the man who went in ever leaving.

The only promising lead in Shifter’s case was his signature move. Shifter did not hide from agents. He made himself known. His arrogance likes to place him at the center of the investigation. Every agent who had been assigned to Shifter claims that at some point in the investigation, they had a conversation with someone closely associated with them that they later never remembered. Whether it was a co-worker or a loved one, it was thought that Shifter made direct contact with the agent in every mission. One file written by Agent Cerese, the last one tasked with finding Shifter, reads, “I had let my dog out one night, and never let her back in. When I finished dinner and sat down to watch some TV, I sat down beside my dog and started scratching behind her ear. I had sat there for an hour or so, not remembering my dog was outside until I went to get a glass of water, and she was lying by the back door. I darted back to the living room, but by the time I got back, Shifter was already gone.”

Cerese was esteemed throughout TRIDENT, consistently regarded as one of our best field agents. Cerese was precise, disciplined, and unnervingly calm under pressure. If anyone would have caught Shifter, it would have been him. As I continued to scroll through his logs, the knot in my stomach got a little tighter.

Day 12: I followed Shifter for about an hour. I had watched him transition into a man walking past him on an empty street. I followed who I thought was Shifter block after block. The pattern seemed completely arbitrary until I saw the suspect enter a townhouse. Thinking I had found where Shifter lived, I watched through a window across the street, only to find a family sitting around a table eating dinner. I realized Shifter had led me back to the man, somehow duping me at some point until he was out of my vision.

Day 41: Everyone who looks at me seems to be him. An orange tabby cat watched me from an alley, and I chased it out of sight. I do not know who is who anymore. Every living thing that moves is Shifter.

Day 118: Cerese is no longer on the case. Shifter managed to switch into an assisting evo field officer and tricked Cerese into using his laser pistol on him. Cerese will spend time getting treated at the TRIDENT agent psych ward.

I shut the folder and left it on the desk with the rest of the files. I leaned back in my chair and stared at the TRIDENT nameplate at the edge of my desk. Agent Carter was ingrained in the metal. I knew I was ready for this. That is why I had the title of agent. That is why General Knight assigned me to this case. I had to believe it. If I did not, this would not just be a game of tag.

It would become a hunt, and I would be the prey.

I never left my office that night. I woke up in my chair and adjusted my neck, which was tight from the way I had it cranked. I headed down to the employee coffee shop in the lobby to get some breakfast and a latte, hoping to lay out my initial plan to catch Shifter. The comforting smell of the burnt espresso and buttery pastries truly helped ease my mind for the first time since I received my assignment. I ordered a black coffee and a breakfast sandwich. I sat in the back corner by the window, desiring more peace and quiet, even though I had plenty of the latter already.

I sat with my notebook, scribbling down my thoughts, trying to connect anything that could give me a jumpstart. I sat in the booth for what felt like eons, every file crowding my head. Even though every agent before me had failed, I felt some relief knowing I had all their mistakes to learn from. As I thought through every case, the trap to catch Shifter dawned on me. Every other agent hunted Shifter like a starving tiger. But Shifter was arrogant. I would not need to go after Shifter; he would come to me. The more I avoided his game, the more it would frustrate him.

Suddenly, I felt someone’s presence watching me. I looked up and noticed a woman staring at me intently. She had light blonde hair and was dressed in a professional, gray pantsuit. She sat there drinking her coffee, seemingly unbothered by the fact that I caught her watching me.

At first, I thought maybe she was Shifter, but her nametag revealed that she clearly worked here. Considering Shifter had a break-in not too long ago, it wouldn’t make sense for him to be here. I went back to my business, ignoring her stare until I noticed her presence again. When our eyes locked again, I noticed a flicker of blue in her eyes. My years of training kicked in; I knew that phenomenon meant something.

A mind reader.

I’d seen that look in countless training videos. I have no idea how an evo managed to get a job here. She clearly knew I was thinking that too, as she immediately gathered her things and headed out of the shop. I quickly scooped up my notebook and threw my bag over my shoulder, not bothering to take my food or coffee. By the time I got out of the door, she was nowhere to be found.

Had yesterday not been so hectic, I would have done more to track her down. She could not have been my target, however, so I felt as if I had much bigger fish to fry. Although an evo inside is concerning, she was clearly a low-level mind reader and was likely just eavesdropping. Most times, low-level evos that do not have life-threatening powers go their entire life without even being labeled by TRIDENT. Although part of me is concerned she is an informant, I could not risk General Knight thinking Shifter had already gotten me paranoid.

I spent the last few weeks reading and re-reading Cerese’s notes. His mission with Shifter was by far the longest and closest to getting the job done, although that did not say much. By the end of his mission, the notes seemed like delirious accounts to most people who read them. But I started to notice patterns in them. Even though he was meticulous, Shifter had habits that began to seep through. He liked to be around a crowd, somewhere where a switch would be easy. He spent a lot of time close to Times Square, a place bustling with tourists, where he could copy anyone and no one would ever question if they saw them twice. Looking at every sighting of him in New York, most of them start with him heading away from the square; so I assumed that was where he resided.

The entire time I prepared for my mission, I slept in my office. I ate at work. I showered at work. I never once left. I had to make Shifter angsty. Deprive him of the thrill of his chase. Shifter’s arrogance stabbing him in the back was dependent on this period. I had to make it seem like we gave up. Like he wasn’t important. After three weeks, I was finally ready to go out into the field.

“Agent Carter, can you confirm your location?” buzzed field officer James, who was assisting me on my mission.

“Heading west towards Times Square on foot,” I communicated, “I will circle back to you with any suspicious behavior. Be ready to jump in today. I expect him to be looking for a game.”

I cut off my line. I could not let anyone know the full plan. When I got to the square, I would carry out the plan I had discussed with the field officers at TRIDENT, which was to hang around until I could confirm Shifter was there. Though in the original plan, I would identify Shifter and call in the squadron of reinforcements and a helicopter to keep sight of him. However, I knew that would not work. Shifter was going to pick me out quickly, and he would ensure that I would see him, too. His intentional recklessness would be to draw me in for a game of cat and mouse—one the mouse always wins.

My actual plan is different. I’ve been holding onto it since the coffee shop, not telling a soul to ensure Shifter could never know. When Shifter reveals himself, I’ll play dumb. No matter how obvious he is, I will not see. After some time, I will leave and head north towards Central Park. If my psych assessment is correct, he will chase after me. He will be infuriated that I did not bother with him, allowing me to take advantage of his emotion and trap him in a more open area.

When I got to the square, I found a spot by some street performers and settled in for the performance. To even the playing field, TRIDENT had all sorts of inventions that gave us agents a fighting chance. Today, I only brought my power dampening cuffs and my utility glasses. The utility glasses will help me pick up inconsistencies in energy use from people and will highlight sudden movements and changes. A normal person walking through will never trip the glasses, but any sort of evo using their powers will be highlighted in red. The power-dampening cuffs are the most important invention of them all. Using subjects in the prison, scientists have been able to find where certain powers come from in the genetic code. The power-dampening cuffs are specially designed to minimize the strongest power of the target, allowing us to subdue them and bring them in. For targets with multiple powers, it gets a little bit tricky because it takes too much energy to block more than one power. For targets with known combos, trucks are brought in with power dampening rooms that will do the same thing as the cuffs, except with greater energy capacity. Luckily for me, Shifter only had one power, according to everything we had seen.

As I watched a mime claw around an invisible box, my glasses picked up a disturbance across the street. There he was. Shifter. He was walking around as himself, so I must’ve caught the back half of a transition. His eyes scanned the crowd, as if he were expecting us. I wondered how long he had been doing this. Had he come out here every day? His ego was starved of government attention. Now is when the game begins. He has his wish.

This part of the plan was easy. All I had to do was sit here and watch. Make it known that I see him, but make it more apparent that I do not care. As if on cue, Shifter transitioned. I did not recognize him; he must have become some tourist he had seen. He stayed put in the middle of the sidewalk as the masses flowed past him. His eyes rolled over me and almost instantaneously snapped back. I was not exactly discreet. I stood there in a TRIDENT agent uniform, utility glasses on, staring past the mime in front of me. I stared right at him. I held his gaze for a moment. And then I turned away.

My glasses picked up a large energy force heading right towards me in my peripheral vision. My plan was working; he was losing his cool faster than I anticipated. I needed him to fall further off the edge before I could engage, though. I turned and walked towards another street performer.

The tin man stood perfectly still. I was giving him a run for his money, though. A new man pulled up and stood directly across from me, looking over the tin man’s shoulder. For a second, I thought I was seeing things. Across from me, General Knight stood firmly, sporting a glare that would send a lesser man back home for a change of clothes.

I did not dare to look at the Shifter’s impersonation of the general. I had him right on the edge of the cliff; I only needed a few more steps. As if he were reading my mind, General Knight started walking right through the tin man’s act, heading right for me. Every bit of energy and nerve I had was used to keep me confident in that moment.

“What are you up to, agent?” interrogated Shifter as he stopped right in front of me. His impression was so convincing that I almost wanted to tell him every part of my plan.

“General,” I replied affirmatively. “Just searching for a mid-level shapeshifter. Do you have any leads for me?”

“Hahaha, Ahh, that is right… You are assigned to Shifter, aren’t you?”

“I am. I think you can expect a much quicker task than the last agent, Sir.”

“Well, I wish you the best of luck, agent. If I can be of any assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out.”

“Thank you, Sir. I do not anticipate much help will be needed. You have a good one.”

Before Shifter could formulate a reply, I started walking off towards Central Park. I had him right where I needed him. My glasses showed Shifter pursuing behind me, picking up his pace to match mine. I had to repeatedly remind myself to slow down. I could not let him think he mattered to me. My heart pounded against my chest, the pulses radiating up through my head. The further I got from the square, the dimmer the city’s lights got. The never-ending billboards, the chatter of pedestrians, all faded away until it was a distant drone. As I crossed into the park, the crowd thinned down to no more than a few joggers and a couple of street vendors. The lamps burned a dull amber, giving the shadows dominion over the park. Behind me, the red silhouette closed the gap with every stride. Shifter’s energy signature was shifting erratically, which told me his anger was making it hard to control his form.

“Bethesda fountain. Now.” I whispered into my mic.

I did not stop until I reached the edge of the Bethesda terrace, looking out over the fountain as if I was simply taking in the city night. I stared down at my reflection in the water. Both of my reflections. Shifter had taken my form.

“You know, it takes much more than a mid-level shapeshifter to hold this many forms,” Shifter said with a sly cackle. “I was starting to think you had forgotten about me. A part of me thought you knew what was best for you after reading about your pal Cerese turning cuckoo. Alas, it seems I may have given you too much credit.”

“Hello, Shifter,” I curtly replied. “It is my pleasure to inform you that TRIDENT is putting you under arrest.”

“Ha. You think you can stop me. Plenty have tried before. It is my least favorite part of the chase by far. It always ruins the fun. Hey… do you think my powers are only limited to humans? I don’t always have to make it a fair fight, you know.”

Suddenly, Shifter’s body violently contorted. His spine arched and elongated, unlike any human frame could ever bend. Orange fur burst out from his skin, and his muscles ballooned beyond any world-class athletes. When the transformation started to settle, a massive tiger stood imposing its will on anyone who dared to look. Shifter let out a deep, guttural roar that reverberated through the trees, sending birds scattering and ripples across the fountain’s surface.

I had never heard of a shapeshifter with this sort of power. I had seen them copy any sort of look or imitate any voice, but this was uncharted. I knew that Shifter could turn into animals, but I thought it was limited to golden retrievers and tabby cats. Had I known Shifter was capable of this, my approach may have differed. This was primal. You could tell by the look in Shifter’s eyes that he wanted nothing but to hunt. He was a predator designed to kill, and he intended to fulfill his purpose.

Before I could gather myself, a streak of orange slammed into my chest like a wrecking ball. My ribs lit up with a white-hot pain as I slid across the stone pavement; every breath drained from my lungs. Shifter sprang at me again, his claws narrowly missing my face as I rolled aside just in time. Shifter roared, the sound so intense it reverberated through my bones. As Shifter prowled towards me like a tiger would its prey, I thought for sure it was the end.

Just in time, a blinding spotlight engulfed the ferocious creature, sending Shifter darting back towards the dark to escape again. Out of the darkness, a field officer fired a net cannon, the steel mesh entrapping the 500 lb big cat. Shifter thrashed and clawed, attempting everything to break out of the web. The stress of the incident must have become too much, as Shifter suddenly shifted back to human form.

I saw my window. I did not hesitate for a second. Years of training kicked in for moments like this. I crossed the distance in an instant, slamming my weight into Shifter, sending him tumbling back to the ground. I tightly grasped his wrist, clamping the dampener cuff onto one arm, which was all I needed to prevent him from shifting again. The dampeners hummed to life, the blue light cutting through the veil of night. Shifter began to transform again, his other wrist nearly slipping out of my grip as it shrank in my palm.

When I came to my senses, I could not believe my eyes. Pinned to the ground beneath me was the girl from the coffee shop.

“Carter,” General Knight knocked on my open door, “Shifter said she wants to speak with you. You do not have to. I figured I would let you know, though.”

“Thanks, General. I am curious as to what he… or, I guess, she… could want.”

“Your guess is as good as mine. If she starts giving you trouble, though, just leave. She won’t be able to do anything with the dampener cuffs on, but leaving will help keep your head safe.”

The interrogation corridor was cold and sterile, humming with the quiet buzz of the outdated lighting. I knocked on Shifter’s door as a formality and let myself in. Shifter sat across the room, wrists laid across the table in the dampener. I stepped all the way inside the room, closing the door behind me with a soft click.

“What could you possibly want from me?” I questioned.

Shifter looked up at me slowly, an eerie smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “I never got to thank you,” she said softly. “For bringing me here, that is.”

I let out a soft chuckle, letting the words hang in the air for a minute. I frowned, confused as to what she could possibly mean.

Shifter looked up at me, a bolt of blue light flashing across her gray eyes. “I know it’s confusing. Doesn’t make much sense, does it? It will all come together soon, though. Don’t you worry.”

The way she said that last part kick-started my pulse a bit. I cannot believe I had forgotten. The entire time I had been so focused on her being Shifter, I forgot about her at the coffee shop. “You can read minds,” I said exasperatedly under my breath. “Is that the only other power you have?”

“I actually only have one power I can call my own.”

Her cryptic tone unsettled my stomach. “What do you mean? What about Shape? Your brother. Does he have more powers?”

Shifter’s eyes softened, as if she was looking back to a fond memory. “He only has one power too. He got the short end of our dad’s genetics, though.”

Shifter’s cold and eerie smile returned, only a bit wider now. I knew that face. I could see it in the eyes. There was no emotion. Her pupils were a black hole. It’s the same face every agent has seen in every training booklet. Out of all people, I should have recognized this face sooner.

My mind started to race. Everything began to add up. The coffee shop. The quick capture. The thank you. Every little piece began to click in the puzzle I was unaware I was solving. Shifter was never a shapeshifter. She was a mimic. And not just any mimic. Shifter was Apex’s daughter. She had set all of this up. She knew what I was planning; she may have even inspired it. She wanted me to guide her in here, a prison full of evos with any number of powers to steal.

I suddenly found myself gasping for breath. “You…”

Crack!
Shifter stood up, her cuffs ringing like cymbals as they struck the ground. She looked at me with that same malevolent smile her father once donned.

“Thank you for your help, Carter. I wonder what your friends will teach me?”