"What is he doing?" Lucas stared at Magnus as he read over numerous medical reports with an annoyed face, peeking over at a book every now and then. Alannah chuckled and sighed.
"He never takes anything seriously unless it's his illusions. Right now, he is studying what different drugs do to the body and how they interact with the brain. He wants to see if it is possible to trick the brain into thinking it had been given a dose of something." Alannah pointed down to the book, "Right now, I think he is studying cocaine. But I don't have hope for it."
"The boy is smart, Alannah."
"Yes, but this isn't making someone see something; this is tricking the brain to rewire the chemicals in his body." Lucas nodded in agreement but smiled.
"He already does that in a way. Whether he casts something someone fears or adores," Lucas narrowed his gaze, "Do you think he's ready to take on that detective?" Alannah stayed silent for a second before shrugging.
"I have no idea. He is fighting a person who knows when his attacks will come. I trust him, but has he ever been pushed to the limit?" Alannah stared into Lucas' eyes, "Must he really do this? I can easily handle that man. This feels like unnecessary risk." Seeing Lucas about to talk, she raised her hand to stop him, "I understand it for his growth, but being so close to our goal, I feel we are playing a dangerous game." She paused and took a deep breath, "Hypothetically, what if he loses, and not in a way we can recover Magnus. What if Mr Graham kills him?"
Lucas's hand tightened around his cane. Ignoring the question, he looked down at Magnus and closed the book with his cane. The young boy fiercely glared at him and pushed the cane away, "Why are you bothering me?"
"I'm glad you are training yourself, but you are not a person who grows from reading books." Magnus huffed and looked away.
"It felt like an interesting thing to do. Think about it. What if I made someone believe they had been tranquilised? Would their body shut down?"
"In theory, it is a line of thought." Lucas sat on the end of the table and smiled, "But the effects drugs have on someone's body are not as simple as making them believe it. Placebo effects do exist, yes, but that is only when someone believes they are taking what they are being told." Lucas pulled out a small glass vial filled with powder. "This is what Maria uses. Want to try some?"
"Lucas." Alannah nearly shouted, coming to his side. Snatching the vial out of his hand, she shook her head, "Are you mad? He's a child."
"Give it back." Lucas held his hand out without looking at her. After a few seconds, when she didn't do as told, he finally turned, "Give." Looking deep into her eyes, they stared at one another coldly, with Alannah breaking first and hesitently returning it. Smiling Lucas turned back to Magnus. "Let's do this instead. What have you studied so far that you feel confident in?"
Magnus eyes brightened. Opening the book, he quickly flicked through it and stopped, landing on ketamine. "This one. Adrian told me about it. He says his people sell a lot of it. It also felt like the one which would be best to use on a person I fight." Lucas's glare hardened at the mention of Adrian, but he said nothing.
Fixing his tie, he nodded. "Cast it on me. I have used it a few times. I'll know if it works." Magnus looked at Lucas with a suspicious gaze, but seeing him happily using himself as a test dummy, didn't stand on ceremony. Reading what it did to the body a final time, he stood up and flicked the rim of his hat.
Spreading his hands out, he clicked his fingers and smiled. "Done."
Lucas pulled his sleeve over and stared at his watch. Seconds turned to minutes, and after ten, Lucas stood up and twirled his cane in his fingers. Walking around, he shook his head. "Nothing." Seeing Magnus mood drop, he laughed, "Your thinking is smart, Magnus, but you have no understanding of these things. Books can give you information and help, but sometimes you need to experience it yourself. You don't know what it is like to be on these things. You don't understand how different doese effect a person. If the detective is a heavy user of a certain drug and you try to trick his brain, it will have no effect. The tolerance has been built up already."
"But, if I could master it," Magnus said with a pitiful tone, experiencing his spell not working for the first time.
"One thing at a time. This is a project you should shelve for the moment. A jack of all trades is useful, but your illusions are better focused on manipulating the reality around people, not what their body experiences." Lucas said with a calm tone, "A spell you cast should drag out a person's sense of reality, let them experience a lifetime in a moment. Let their worst fears and happiest moments come to life. A petty trick is nothing compared to a grand spectacle afterall."
Magnus nodded and grabbed his chin. Nodding and smiling to himself, he understood, "Then," Nervously picking up the staff leaning against the table, he played with it in his hands, "Can you get me all the information I need on him. What he's scared of, what he likes, dislikes."
Lucas suppressed his smile and nodded. "Of course. In the meantime, go out and practise, focus on making your illusion more subtle, and minimise how much power you use. You need to trick a man who can see what is coming. I have also got the date for your show, so make sure you're ready by then." Magnus happily nodded and ran towards the door. With him gone, Lucas sighed and looked at Alannah, feeling her gaze on him. "What?"
"Were you really going to give him that, Lucas?"
"Sure." Lucas casually replied, "If it helps him, I would give him anything he asks. Is it preferable that I handle it rather than him? Maria is already a waste who can't function without rotting her mind; we can't have him become like that." Lucas paused, "You are right, however. With us so close to the final goal, we need him ready to trick the door. Alexander has already told me that he can't do it alone, even with the keys. He needs Magnus to be ready." Smiling to himself, Lucas chuckled, "Although he does have a contingency if Magnus fails."
"A contingency?"
"He didn't explain, but he was strangely happy and confused about it. He can't be sure, but in due time, he will know if he is right. Anyway, Magnus is the final piece. I won't give him any drugs going forward, but make sure he doesn't explore it himself. If he desperately wants it, tell me." Lucas looked up at the ceiling, tightening the hold on his cane. With a longing gaze, he spoke to himself, "Thirty years. So much time has passed, and I can finally see what he promised."
Alannah looked at him strangely. She already knew that what Lucas and Alexander had been working on together for decades, before anyone else had appeared. Although Alexander looked young, she was wise enough to know his appearance was a lie, and with the power of time in his hands, it didn't seem strange that he could halt his ageing process or at least delay it.
It also made sense that Lucas was so happy to follow someone else, given how long they had been together. She knew him best, bar Alexander. Authority that wasn't his own was like a poison to him, yet he was happy to follow the orders of another, even forcing himself to work with a person he despised, like Adrian, to ensure it was smooth.
Lucas fixed his appearance, shooting his cuffs. His eyes narrowed as he looked out the window, "Did Adrian give him this stupid idea?"
"I think so. Adrian has always treated Magnus kindly, to the point it is strange." Alannah followed Lucas gaze, "Wouldn't it be better to be done with that man. No one likes him, and I can't help but feel he doesn't care about any of this."
Lucas thought about it for a second before arriving at the conclusion he always did. "It's better to keep your enemy close at times like this. He has too much power in his control to allow him to be an unknown variable. If we could have Xavier sit at the table with us, we would, but that man is greedy. He would rather no one open the Doorway than share it."
"He's more dangerous close to us. He knows everything and holds nothing dear, Lucas. Adrian..."
"Adrian is a threat, one we will deal with, but at the moment, I don't wish for a person to feel the vacuum his disappearance would create. Especially one outside of our knowledge." Lucas took a deep breath, "And you're wrong about something. He does hold something dear to him, but not so abstract as family." Lucas walked forward and looked out at the busy street. "He loves the struggle of life. At his core, he is a person who hates order, which removes that struggle."
"Then he won't sit idly under Alexander for long."
"He won't. Preparations are being made, but I need to trigger him. When I do, and he bares his teeth at Alexander, he will have no choice but to give the okay to deal with, likely helping himself. Once that happens, I'll clean it up and take his place before anyone else can."