Plot:That's Catch 22

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Part 1: Lux

Heat O'Brien, an 18-year-old pre-med student at Yale University, finds medical professor Henry Harris bleeding out from a stab wound to the chest. Though he attempts to resucitate the professor, other students arrive on the scene and mistakenly assume that Heat was the one who stabbed him. Heat is detained by the police for several hours and questioned mercilessly, until Serph Sheffield appears and suddenly begins to defend Heat's innocence.

Serph is a 16-year-old psychology major, the youngest student on campus. Even though they've never spoken before, Serph claims to be Heat's best friend and argues with the police on his behalf. He eventually convinces them to let Heat go home for the night; Heat is grateful for his help, but remains unnerved by Serph's inscrutability and the fact that he seems to know more about the situation (and Heat himself) than he should.

The next day, Heat eats lunch alone in the cafeteria while trying to ignore the stares of other students gossiping about his involvement in the murder. His narration reveals that currently, in 2014, the Earth's atmosphere has deteriorated to a point where humans are increasingly unable to spend time outdoors without risking burns from ultraviolet rays; every student at Yale now carries anti-UV sunglasses at all times. Despite the growing danger of the sun's rays, countries such as the United States have ignored environmentalists' warnings, continuing to resist legislation that would regulate industrial pollution. People have begun to joke that the increase in solar radiation over the past decade is a punishment from the "gods" in the sun.

Heat's thoughts are interrupted by Serph, who sits at his table and begins chatting with him. As they converse, Heat finds himself both drawn to and repulsed by Serph's natural talent for charming others. Serph explains how he uses body language and psychological tricks to subconsciously dominate conversations and manipulate others' behavior; his callousness disgusts Heat, who storms out of the cafeteria. Torn between gratitude and mistrust, Heat attempts to dismiss Serph and head to his next class, but both of them are summoned for another meeting with the police.

Back at the murder scene, an officer identifying himself as FBI agent Allen Harvey accuses Heat of being a spy, revealing that a certain highly-classified disc has gone missing in the wake of the professor's murder. Harvey puts up a much stronger resistance to Serph's attempts to influence the situation; undaunted by the investigator's obvious animosity, Serph continues to insist on finding the real culprit and defending his friend. Based on the condition of the crime scene and the professor's injuries, Serph concludes that Professor Harris was killed by accident, likely by somebody he knew very well.

Part 2: Veritas

The police react derisively to Serph's suggestion that Harris may have been murdered by his wife; nevertheless, Serph's deductions have cast doubt on the theory that Heat is the only possible culprit, and Heat's guilt is no longer assured. Though a part of Heat still questions whether Serph's dedication to him is just another act, by this point, his doubt is outweighed by his genuine feelings of gratitude and guilt.

After another day of interrogation, an exhausted Serph and Heat return to Heat's student apartment, which had been ransacked earlier by the police as part of their investigation. Worried that the incident might disrupt his progression towards his medical degree, Heat reflects on his reason for trying to graduate quickly: to be able to repay his student loans as soon as possible and not further burden his mother, the main source of financial and emotional support in his life after his younger sister's death. Serph, noticing Heat's melancholy, tries to guess at the reason for his grief, but when he begins to metaphorically describe the situation as a "catch-22," Heat reacts violently to the phrase.

After a bit of coaxing, Heat confesses his secret: nine years ago, he killed his sister. Heat's younger sister was born with DiGeorge Syndrome, a genetic disorder also colloquially known as CATCH-22. Because she was immunocompromised, Heat was forbidden to leave the house during an influenza epidemic; regardless, a nine-year-old Heat snuck out to play with his friends, inadvertently contracting the virus that would result in his sister's death. Heat still holds himself responsible for her death, and his obsessive study of medicine stems from his desire to save children impacted by genetic disorders like his sister. Serph listens to Heat's story without judgment. Eventually, he comforts Heat by inviting him to stay by his side from that point on, promising that the world will one day be theirs; overwhelmed, Heat simply nods.

The next evening, Serph and Heat visit Yale's Beinecke Library to examine the Voynich Manuscript, a 15th-century encyclopedia written in an indecipherable language. Serph then reveals his other suspicions about Harris's murder: before his death, the professor was involved with the subjects of multiple conspiracy theories, including the Skull & Bones society, the HAARP Facility, and the Voynich manuscript itself. Serph speculates that the disc missing from Harris's office may have contained information that would be dangerous to publicize, suggesting that his death might have been orchestrated to guarantee his silence.

Meanwhile, Heat grows increasingly impatient with Serph's conspiracy theories, and his distrust worsens as he realizes just how closely Serph had been monitoring the professor. Suddenly doubting Serph's sanity, Heat even begins to suspect that his friend's erratic behavior and unsettling familiarity with the crime scene may point to him being the true culprit. Gripped by paranoia, Heat sees Serph reach into his pocket and moves to defend himself, fearing for his own safety.

To Heat's surprise, Serph appears uncharacteristically hurt by his sudden show of suspicion, and he pulls out nothing but an ordinary electrical outlet cover. Then, shocking Heat further, Serph reveals that the object is actually a wiretap. Some time before the professor's death, Serph had developed an interest in the academic and social benefits of joining the Skull & Bones society. Professor Harris's suspicious reaction to Serph's inquiries only made him more curious, and he volunteered for a campus delivery job in order to discreetly plant a bug in the professor's office. Serph was eavesdropping on Harris the night he was killed, making him the only witness to the murder. Although he initially testified in Heat's defense because it allowed him to stealthily retrieve his wiretap from the crime scene, Serph also knows for a fact that Heat didn't kill the professor, and he reaffirms his commitment to proving his friend's innocence.