Gauntlet colours according to the Camelot Institute:

Red = Negligible Magic. Either none detected or so little as to be of no practical use.

Gold = The Gauntlet has detected magic. This could be due to having magical relations, or belong to the wearer themselves. Limited ability.

Green = Definite magical ability. This person should be closely monitored, especially if given this rating whilst young. They could be of great use to society if given the right training.

Blue = Highly skilled. Of great use to the State just as long as they have the right personality.

Purple = Full block for dangerous sorcerers and those who commit crimes. Very unpredictable and can cause health issues.

Chapter One: Lights And Alarms

Two Years Later: Thursday Morning

Morgana yelped as all the power went off and plunged the laboratory into darkness. She automatically grabbed at the metal band round her wrist, worried it had malfunctioned again when, a few seconds later, the back-up generator kicked in and the lights flickered back on.

"Morgana!"

"It wasn't me that time, Gaius. Look!" She held up her wrist to show the steady flashing green lights on her metal bracelet. "My Gauntlet is fine and I promise I was perfectly calm."

Then the emergency lights started flickering too and the pair looked around nervously before jumping again as the fire alarm blared out.

"I need to check this," Gaius said walking towards the red, 'no unauthorised access' door which Morgana hadn't been allowed near since starting work here last month.

A second, even louder, alarm followed the first.

"What's that?" Morgana shouted over the din. "Is that the magic alarm?"

"Yes," Gaius yelled back. He frowned. "But I'm not sure why it's been activated. I did just cast a spell on that door to make sure it was secure, but the detectors are switched off in here for that very reason."

"So, should we stay here or go?"

"We'd better leave," he replied. "I've done all I can for now."

The two made sure everyone had evacuated the laboratory so that Gaius could close the door after them, locking it both mechanically, digitally and magically before they made their way to the nearest fire escape.

"There," the old man declared. "No one will be able to get through that."

The pair had only just walked out of the fire exit and registered their presence with the computerise security system when Arthur came running over to them.

"What's happening in the lab?" her half-brother demanded.

"Nothing that we know of," Gaius replied. "The power went off and then the alarms started. I made sure everything was triple locked before we left."

"Well, that's good, but you'd better come and see Father as he's convinced it's an attack by Eden."

"Typical," Morgana muttered. Then she saw Uther hurrying over to their position. "Talk of the devil..."

"Why have you left the laboratory unattended?" the head of the Camelot Institute demanded.

"We have to evacuate the building if the Fire Alarm goes off," Gaius replied. "You know that."

"But what if it's a ploy? A diversion to leave our most secure areas unattended?" Uther insisted. "They're going to steal our Gauntlet technology or, even worse..." He looked around nervously and lowered his voice. "... attempt to free our... guests. You know they've threatened it."

"There's no way they could access that area now," Gaius insisted. "Not with all the locks I've just employed."

"Still, I think we should go back in and check straight away," her father continued. "I will not risk a security breach."

"I'll go to the front of the building and see what I can do," Arthur said. "But I doubt the fire brigade will let us in until they've confirmed it's safe."

Gwen came over carrying a Tablet and handed it wordlessly to Arthur.

"Anyone missing?" Uther asked her. "Any employee not accounted for?"

"No, sir," she replied brightly. "Everyone present and correct."

"But where's Merlin?" Arthur asked. "I thought I put him in charge of that job."

"You did," Gwen replied. "But he went to talk to the fire chief about the various secure areas."

"Ah, I'm glad someone's thinking straight," Uther said. "We really shouldn't allow the laboratory to be left unsupervised."

"I'll see what I can do," Arthur repeated before running off towards the front entrance.

Gaius turned his attention back to Morgana as Gwen left on some other errand.

"Let me take a look at that Gauntlet," he said.

"I told you earlier, it definitely wasn't me this time."

"What's this?" Uther asked.

"Well, when the power went in the Lab I did wonder if it was Morgana's... ah, unique situation... causing issues again."

"The power went out?" Uther said. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

Gaius shrugged. "I just assumed it went out in the whole building."

"No, just the fire and magic alarms. Morgana?"

"I promise you it wasn't me," she insisted. "I know when my Gauntlet malfunctions – I can feel it – but this time there was nothing and, look, the Green block is still in place."

"She's right," Gaius confirmed, looking up from his inspection. "Her Gauntlet is functioning perfectly normally."

"Thank you!" she replied, sharply.

Arthur came running back over with a tall, skinny young man a few steps behind him.

"What news, Arthur?" Uther asked.

"I'm sorry..." He paused, out of breath from his run. "I'm afraid it's as you feared."

"What?"

"One of our research subjects has escaped."

~o~0~o~

"Well?" Arthur asked as he entered the laboratory to find Gaius yet again fiddling with the settings on Morgana's Gauntlet.

"I'm at a loss to explain it," he replied. "The door leading to the secure area is undamaged and all the locks - magical and mechanical - were intact when we returned."

"Is there another way out?" Arthur asked. "Perhaps through to the main prison next door?"

"Not without breaking through the magical locks on that side, no."

"I can't believe no-one told me that we actually hold prisoners here," Morgana complained.

"Father thought you had enough on your plate at the moment," her brother explained. "He was planning on increasing your security level soon though and then we would have explained."

"So he says."

"What? We're telling you now, aren't we? We could have continued to keep it a secret if we'd wanted."

"But why? Why are we, as a research facility, holding prisoners here?"

"Well, that door actually leads down to a basement wing of the main prison next door," Gaius explained. "But we have access to it because only we are able to securely hold sorcerers."

"Because we make the Gauntlets?" she guessed.

"And develop them, yes. We need to make sure that those dangerous prisoners have the most up-to-date versions, and we also need to have them close to hand so we can try the different levels out on them."

"And they all wear a the highest possible setting, I assume?"

"Purple, yes, with very few exceptions. It's best we take no chances with those particular criminals."

The old man moved back towards Morgana and started to poke and prod the controls on the Gauntlet. She sighed loudly wondering, yet again, why the devices never seemed to work properly on her.

"Still not got her setting sorted then, Gaius?" Arthur asked as he fully registered the situation.

The scientist huffed as he continued to check the screen in front of him. "I do believe we're getting closer to finding an answer to Morgana's ah... unique situation."

She rolled her eyes behind the old man's back and her brother failed to hide his amusement at her sceptical reaction.

"And to think how much you used to gloat about registering no magic when we were children," he crowed. "Whilst I had to wear a Gold setting just as soon as I started school."

He waved his right wrist furiously to emphasise the point, causing the yellow lights on the Gauntlet to pulse more rapidly. Apparently, magical anomalies ran in the family, as Arthur had always registered as someone with a small amount of magic even though Gaius had been unable to teach him a single spell.

Morgana shook her head at the casual way her brother treated the annoying gadget. To him it was simply an item you wore to compliment your wristwatch, whilst to her it felt like a ticking time bomb tied to her arm, guaranteed to 'explode' at the most inconvenient time possible.

The standard magical tests continued to insist that she had no significant magic, despite the block on her Gauntlet often failing when she became emotional. During her frequent nightmares, or during situations where she became scared or excited, it seemed that magic – or something like it – broke through the Gauntlet's block and short-circuited most electrical devices in the immediate area. Each time it happened, Gaius would test her again – confirming the 'no magic' reading – before unsuccessfully trying to teach her the most basic of magical spells. Then, despite the result, he'd often reset the Gauntlet to a higher level even though, some time later, it would 'malfunction' again and Morgana would be subjected to yet more awkward questions and tests.

Uther's initial horror at the suggestion that his daughter might actually have magic, quickly turned to a reluctant acceptance as he realised the advantages of the situation. To Uther, all sorcerers were dangerous and only Gaius and a couple of others had his permission to use magic for the 'greater good'. Having a trusted family member with the ability - someone who could ultimately take over from the old man - made him feel very much more comfortable.

Despite all of this, however, Gaius was still unable to say for certain whether Morgana actually had any magic at all.

"Oh, by the way," Arthur said, just as he was about to leave. "Dad wants to talk security with Gaius tonight which means he can't attend this promotions party. So, I wondered if you'd like to come instead."

She rolled her eyes. "I bet that'll be a laugh a minute."

Her brother grinned. "There'll be free booze."

She shrugged as if still considering the offer, although she had made up her mind already. Anything for a bit of excitement and... normality. Still, she couldn't help wondering why Arthur had apparently made such an effort to ask her instead of someone else.

A small, sly smile spread over her face as she suddenly worked it out.

"Aha!" she crowed.

"What?"

"This party is to promote our Gauntlet research and gain more orders, right?"

"Ah, yes...?"

"Which means it's one of those gatherings where it's usual to bring one's personal assistants along."

"What's your point, Morgana?"

"Well, I can certainly come," she continued, her grin now wide and unashamed. "But I obviously can't speak for Gwen on such short notice. I'll ask her if she's free though."

"I'm sure I don't mind which member of staff you bring along," Arthur replied, trying and failing to look unconcerned.

"Of course you mind," Morgana smirked. "You are so transparent, Arthur. What about you? Who's your current PA? It's so hard to keep track. I'm assuming you've got rid of that dark-haired stick by now."

"Stick? Oh, you mean, Merlin?"

"I think that was his name. The one with the ears."

Arthur smiled slightly. "No, he's still my PA. Didn't you see him running errands for me this afternoon?"

"Not really." She frowned. "You mean, you haven't fired him yet? That's what...? A fortnight?"

Arthur shrugged. "Perhaps a month now."

"Seriously? I thought you couldn't stand him."

"Well it's true that he's very annoying, talks back all the time and is totally disrespectful," Arthur replied.

"So?"

"He's also quite good at the job... sometimes."

She shook her head, unconvinced. Only the brightest and the best made it through both the security and the interview process, and Arthur was notoriously picky about his assistants. For this one to have lasted a month was very unusual.

"So, I'll pick you up at seven-thirty?" her brother continued, heading towards the door once again.

She shrugged again. "All right. I'll see you then."

"All right, Morgana," Gaius said, brandishing a small metal pen as he approached her once again. "Let's try a new setting on this Green level and see if it works better for you."

She held out her wrist to him and raised her eyes to the ceiling. "Knock yourself out."

Thursday Afternoon

"Are you sure it's all right for me to go to this party?" Gwen asked Morgana as the two headed into town to shop for the evening ahead.

"What? But of course it is. That's the whole point."

"The whole point of what?"

Morgana smiled, realising that her assistant still didn't know how her brother felt about her.

"I was just worried it might be a bit short notice for you," she continued.

"My social life is not exactly buzzing at the moment," Gwen replied.

"I know the feeling," Morgana countered. "So, do you have any idea why this current assistant of Arthur's is still working for him?"

Gwen beamed at her. "Oh, you mean Merlin?"

Morgana turned to stare at the young woman, who she was already viewing as one of her closest friends, surprised by her sudden bright tone of voice. "What's he like?" she asked. "I've had other things on my mind recently, as you know."

"Oh, Merlin's adorable," Gwen replied. "Everyone loves him."

Morgana scoffed. "Seriously? And you're telling me that Arthur finds him... adorable?"

She giggled. "Well, I'm not sure about that, but Merlin is actually a very difficult person to dislike. He gets along with everyone and everyone gets along with him."

Morgana rolled her eyes. "Sounds like just the sort of person who would end up really annoying me."

Gwen grinned. "You'll see what I mean when you meet him properly tonight." She pointed to another shop. "Shall we try in here?"

~o~0~o~

"I hate this stupid Gauntlet," Morgana complained as she surveyed her reflection in the changing room mirror. "How is one suppose to go for a look which says, 'sexy, yet refined,' when you've got bright lights permanently flashing around your wrist."

"It's the same for everyone though," Gwen countered.

"Yeah, and can't you just tell that a man invented this. Gaudy primary colours and a brightness level that wouldn't be out of place on a lighthouse. Ridiculous."

"Well, you're working in Gauntlet development now," Gwen said. "Why don't you suggest a change to something more subtle?"

Morgana just scoffed. "As if anyone would listen to me. Still, it might not be quite so bad if mine didn't have to keep changing colour every couple of weeks."

Gwen frowned. "I can imagine. How are you coping with that Green setting?"

"I'm feeling a bit light-headed, but not as bad as when I first got moved up to Yellow." She finally got to look more closely at her friend. "Oh, I like that dress, Gwen. It really suits you."

"Thanks." She gave Morgana a cheeky smile. "You don't think it clashes too much with the flashing yellow lights then?"

Morgana smiled, fondly. "You are a saint to put up with all my complaining. Come on, let's pay for these and get ourselves home. I intend to have a nice long bath and then get very drunk tonight."

~o~0~o~

Next Time. Chapter 2: A Business Party. Morgana gets to meet Merlin properly. (Due Sunday 9th August 2015)