Covering your tracks

You stride across the museum foyer again, letting your radiant hair willow out behind you. Even in track pants, Gabby looks stunning. That's only going to play to your advantage.

As you finished your breakfast and slipped the plates into the sink, an ugly thought had come to you. You had tried to trace exactly how the shadowy organisation could track you - and hit on a major snag. Nobody would suspect you are Gabrielle Rieu, but the 'Elena' imposter saw Lucy... and her college sweater. If the organization were half as good as they seem to be, they'd soon track down Lucy, zap her, work out where she had been with the blue pen. That would take them to the museum, and its security cameras. They'd be able to watch as your Lucy disguise followed Gabby into the bathroom. The rest is all too easy to work out.

All of that, of course, depends on whether they identify Lucy, but you'd rather cover your bases. You're not ready to change skins yet, and if they can play that game, you can too.

"'Allo, I was wondering if you could 'elp me?" You give your most embarrassed smile as you arrive at the security desk. The guard, clearly bored from the lack of visitors on a weekday morning, gives you a helpful smile.

"Yes, m'am?"

"I was 'ere yesterday. You may remember me, my friend collapsed?"

The guard nods. "Yeah. And the door was locked. I remember, miss."

"In the commotion, I think I left my purse? I was wondering if it 'ad been 'anded in?" You smile, and bat your eyelashes. It's not long before you're led to the security room. And, the moment the door is closed, you zap the guard for some privacy.

He doesn't collapse. Instead, he just stands there, dumbstruck. Not frozen, but with a vacant look on his face. You look down in your hand: you've used the white pen by accident. Shit... and you have no idea what it does. While he's stunned, you decide to act.

"Sorry about dis," you say, Gabby's accent sounding even more apologetic than your real voice would. Quickly you hurry to the CCTV network. The DVD records are all kept in a row, the date clearly marked. You grab the relevant copy and pocket it. "Just don't remember any of dis, OK?" you say.

"OK," the guard answers. You blink. Could that be what the white pen is for? Some kind of Jedi mind trick?

"And you don't remember me or my friend from yesterday, either."

"I won't." Obviously this pen can wipe memories. You wonder what else it can do.

"You will remember we came 'ere to check lost property, but dat we did not find anything. Then you will forget dis ever 'appened."

"Yes." You decide to see how far it goes.

"Stand on one leg."

The guard doesn't move. You gulp, and look at the white pen. This has sinister implications. A pen that allows you to alter someone's memories? It works like that thing in the Men in Black movies: just a chance to make people forget what they've seen. In the wrong hands - the organization's, for example - this could have terrible possibilities. Fortunately, you're not an asshole. You're just on the run, and out of options. You're not going to **** this power.

You level the white pen again, firing. The guard blinks and looks around, first at his surroundings, then at you.

"Miss?" he says, confused. "Sorry, I must have been a world away. Anyway, sorry we couldn't find anything. Guess you lost it somewhere else, huh?"

"I guess so," you smile bashfully. "Thank you for your 'elp."

You leave the museum, figuring your tracks are at least covered now. But there's still the question of whether you live Gabby's life for the next week. You could always head back to campus and prepare for her test. Alternatively, you could head to the college administration building. You're confident enough with your Gabby memories and acting skills you could claim a family member has fallen ill, cry some fake tears and get a pass on her paper. She's wealthy enough to allow you to buy a ticket straight to Paris and fly out immediately - Gabby's memories mean you're able to speak French easily enough. Or, once you hit the airport, you could find another identity. Gabby's a lovely girl, and you enjoyed chatting with her. Stealing her life feels wrong... but if you're going to survive, you're going to have to steal someone's.

(Author: Collider)