The largest difference was the thick stainless-steel cylinder in the very center of the room with a dome of glass over the top and a glowing red button on the front. I had never seen it before, but it did remind me of the same one that gave me the lovely inked-in scar from when we first arrived. The area in my palm stung and tingled slightly at the memory.
Rayna pulled away from us and moved to stand in front of the chairs waiting for our exhausted bodies.
“This room is what I like to call the Theater. It first started out as a purely diagnostic aid for the sick but turned into a showroom for the Specials and their abilities. Especially those with ones larger than life.”
My eyebrows shot up at the phrase ‘larger than life.’ How many others there possessed a power that was so extraordinary they needed exceptional equipment to show its full scope? And I had thought my ability was terrifying. I was afraid to see what else was out there now that Rayna had used the phrase at all.
Rayna motioned to the seats in front of her with a flourish that reminded me of King’s level of showmanship. It sent a chill up and down my spine. Of course, it was difficult not to see the man in everything. I saw the back of a head as I approached the row of seats and, when the man turned, the steely gray eyes of my best friend greeted me. Julius smiled at me and waved. I returned it.
“If you all would please have a seat,” she prompted.
All of us moved toward the chairs and sat down quietly, Gaia to my left and Ryder to my right. The only other person that didn’t sit down beside Rayna was Doctor Aserov. I only assumed it was because she knew the most about my ability and had seen it in action multiple times as a scientist. She was even there for my other tests in the Spartan Compound, an agent of the Fallen Paradigm the entire time. Even in the face of King’s rage and abuse at the revelation. Images of his dark eyes and expression of worship at my power in the face of his possible death in the compound flashed through my mind. I shook them away and squared my shoulders, watching the two women before me as they worked together to explain their findings. Rayna picked up a small black remote and held it lightly between her fingers with her thumb on an imperceptible button.
I took a deep, resonating breath to steady myself and slow my racing heart. Within seconds warm hands held both of mine. I turned to Gaia who was watching me carefully and nodded, knowing that Ryder was holding the other without having to look at him. She grinned weakly and squeezed my hand in assurance.
Doctor Aserov cleared her throat, and my attention shot back to the front of the room. Both women stood on either side of the metal cylinder but still had not stated its purpose.
“When I was tasked with infiltrating King’s Spartan Compound, I knew I was in for the shock of my life, but I didn’t know the extent of what I’d see. So much power and so many refusing to use it to gain their freedom from what was done to them inside of those walls. Like Mila, they didn’t want to kill. They wanted nothing more than the freedom and the life that being an American citizen promised them, but were unwilling to use their ability to gain it. Even Mila was reluctant to do so,” she paused, and her brown orbs shifted to me, “at first. Everything changed when Ryder brought her to me and together we told her about the Harvest. Caius, a valued partner in the fight now, was the victim of this, but one of the few to survive it with only minor effects.”
My mind shot to his lisp and the slight shifts in his steps that hinted that something wasn’t quite right. I had known before, but to have it solidified by the Paradigm was another thing altogether. A shiver passed through me that had nothing to do with the cold.
“But so many were able to be saved once the Fallen Paradigm raided the Spartan Compound, and the downfall of that location and King’s exploitation began with Mila and what she had done with her abilities after their failed escape the night before,” Rayna continued. “And now, we know so much more about what she can do, inherently and what was passed to her by the clairvoyant named Cato.”
“We will start with the newest of her abilities,” Doctor Aserov said with a nod toward Rayna, who pressed a button on the sleek remote. The image of what looked like an MRI took over the entire screen.
I had to admit, I had no idea what I was looking at when I saw it.
“We didn’t believe that power was transferrable until it was brought to my attention and this prompted us to give into Mila’s request for further testing. Now we know different. We had been able to obtain the information from her tests within the Spartan Compound, but none of them contained this new ability.” She pointed at the screen behind her. “This is an extremely old MRI that we were able to pull from her past medical records. As you can see, there is nothing of significance. All activity is within normal range. And this,” another image flashed on the screen, “is the scan we took.”
I could see the differences instantly. My brain was lit up like a firework show on the Fourth of July, each portion of my brain active all at one time instead of just one or a few regions activated. I didn’t need an explanation. I knew what that meant, but there was something there that was off. I just couldn’t put my finger on it.
“I’m certain you all can see the difference without us having to say anything,” Rayna said. “Cato was able to transfer his ability to Mila, but we still aren’t sure how it was passed, and this is something we want to study further. This has allowed Mila access to any vision that Cato had before his death, and possibly even given her the ability to see future events. Mila has had one instance that we know of of this phenomenon. There is also something interesting.”
She turned toward the screen, and a small red laser light appeared after she pressed another button on the remote. It landed on a portion of my brain in the very center. That portion was so much brighter than the others, a brilliant red showing the level of activity was much stronger.
“This is the pineal gland. It has long been theorized that this is the home for the human soul but has never been proven. At least, we believe that has been the case until now,” Rayna glanced back me, practically beaming. “DMT, what some call the spirit molecule, is secreted from this portion of the brain when we die but, from what we gather, Mila’s brain now secretes it at times when a vision is incoming, or she hears Cato’s voice speaking to her. Somehow, he was able to pass a piece of his consciousness to her as well, possibly in the transference of his ability.”
I felt eyes on me, but mine were fixed on the screen in front of me. The room grew hot, stifling, and I began to sweat, but I refused to look at my companions.
“This is something we believe to be the case but can’t prove just yet. That will come later,” Doctor Aserov continued when she saw every pair of eyes scanning me for a reaction to the information we had just been given. “But, that’s not all there is to the equation, here. From what I saw in the Spartan Compound and what I have learned over the last few weeks, Mila is what I’m going to call an exothermic telekinetic, or EXT for short.”
The room was silent for all of a second before the question slipped from my parted lips.
“EXT?” I whispered.
Doctor Aserov’s eyes brightened at my recognition of her terminology for my ability. The excitement of it seemed to thrill her as she stood before us, but Rayna barely registered my question. She took a deep breath to speak, but the good doctor wouldn’t let her slow down her explanation of her discovery.
“Yes, Mila, EXT. An exothermic telekinetic is someone that can harness the power of telekinesis and use it to cause the nuclear fission reaction that has been observed in those that have experienced your ability,” she said rapidly.
“You mean, the people I’ve killed,” I stated.
Doctor Aserov looked at the others, back to Rayna, and then back at me with a panicked expression on her face. Just as soon as it appeared, it was gone. Like the expression had never crossed her perfect features.
“
Uuuh…. ummm,” she stammered. “In a manner of speaking.”
“My victims. You mean my victims,” I pushed.
The room froze and everything stood still. Fingertips grazed my left arm, and I turned to see Gaia watching me with a questioning look on her face. As well as one of sorrow and inner turmoil. The same emotions emanated from those around me and caressed my skin like smoke.
In that instant, I chose to let her continue even though the word victim kept running through my mind over and over without ceasing. I clamped my mouth shut and gripped the edge of the seat while I waited for her to further explain what all of this even meant. It was in me to fight. I felt the urge to, but I was tired and just wanted the answers I had sacrificed so much of myself for. Bracing myself for the urge to run so I could stop myself, I raised my chin and was determined to listen to the best of my ability. Even if I didn’t like the results.
“If you’d like, we can stop and give the results to your mother,” Rayna stated in a tone that sounded slightly condescending.
“No. No, please continue. I need to hear this.”
“Are you sure?” Ryder asked.
All I could do was nod in response. With that, Doctor Aserov cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable, and took a deep breath to prepare herself to move on.
“Well, nuclear fission causes the atoms within the cells of your target to split, which releases energy and heat. The only reason, it seems, that the reaction stays within the body you are targeting, is that your telekinetic ability forms a field to keep it from moving beyond those borders. It’s a pretty simple explanation. What we witnessed outside was what happens when both powers collide. The nuclear reaction causes radioactive decay in a matter of milliseconds, and the telekinesis removes those particles so you can inflict damage on the healthy atoms. Make sense?” she posed to the group.
No reply but deafening quiet.
“There’s one more thing,” Rayna said while taking a few steps forward, placing her hand palm-down on the glass dome atop the metal cylinder.
Turning toward the woman, Doctor Aserov gasped, “I almost forgot.”
Rayna rolled her eyes. “She’s a little excited, sorry.”
“Don’t act like you’re not, Rayna. This is a huge breakthrough, and I think, after seeing it, all of them can admit it.” She pushed the bright red button on the front and the glass dome popped open with a hiss, like air inside of it had decompressed. Like the air-locks inside of King’s compound. “Mila, if you can come up here, please?”
Nerves took over again, but I did as requested of me, rising from my chair and taking the few steps toward her and the intimidating cylinder as slowly as I could without looking like I did it on purpose. The top portion under the dome, upon closer inspection, was covered in something that looked like ribbed rubber matting. What is was for or what it did, I had no idea.
“When working with Mila’s blood under the microscope, we noticed something we didn’t expect. When outside of the body or a container of some sort, the energy within your blood is released. Since you have been injured and bleeding before now, it seems that this only happens when it isn’t in contact with either your biology or something organic, like glass.”
After hearing this, it was as if the only thing I could hear were crickets for all the chatter not going on about her revelation.
“We use a synthetic plastic for our slides,” she clarified further.
Rayna moved forward and reached out toward me, her expression blank.
“Mila? Your hand, please?” she beckoned while her free hand reached into the pocket of her lab coat.
Tentatively, I raised my hand and placed it in her palm, her fingers pulling out what looked to be a small piece of plastic.
“What is that?” I panicked.
She placed it on the tip of my index finger. There was a faint click and the sting of a puncture to my skin. I flinched and tried to pull it away, but she held firm.
“Just a little needle, Mila. For a demonstration,” she said with a smirk. Rayna removed the needle and pressed on the pad of my finger, causing more warm blood to pool, threatening to drip onto the floor. Pulling me over to the cylinder with the odd coating on the top, she turned my hand over and squeezed my blood onto the black surface.
Doctor Aserov walked forward and pressed the red button, the glass dome on the top coming to a close with a snap of a lock and another hiss. Rayna let go of my hand and I snapped it back, looking at my finger with annoyance before slipping it between my lips to stop the bleeding. The metallic tang of it hit my tongue, and I had to hold back a gag. Within a matter of seconds, a sizzling sound grabbed my attention ad my eyes shot to what happened underneath the glass. Everyone else in the room stood up from their seats and crept forward, bent at the waist so they could be eye-level with where my blood stood just inside.
It sputtered and bubbled, moving like a living, breathing thing within the glass. I narrowed my eyes as I watched it undulate as if it were attempting to seduce an unseen lover inside with it. The crimson life spread out into a small puddle instead of a singular drop, then pulled itself together again to form a bead of surging fluid. As we watched, it began to thicken and turn into the same black and dead cells that erupted from my victims, turning their veins into busted networks underneath their skin. Without warning, my blood began to surge even faster and then settled, going silent. I bent over at the waist next to Ryder and stared at it, confused.
“Was that it?” Ryder asked, disappointed.
Just as the words left his mouth, there was a loud snap of energy, a flash of light under the domed glass, and the splatter of dark blood as it hit the glass. All of us took a frightened step back, covering our eyes. When I slowly brought my arms back to my sides, I was awed at what I saw in front of me. The glass was slightly cracked where the blood hit it much like a projectile straight from the barrel of a gun, fractured in a delicate spider web that seemed as if it could shatter just by gently touching it.
“Holy shit,” Ryder whooped as he took me in his arms, picked me up from the floor, and twirled me around with elation and excitement. “That was awesome!”
He set me down, and I wanted to feel the same excitement he did, and I could have if it weren’t for the nervous smiles everyone else in the room shot my way. Well, all except for Rayna and Doctor Aserov. The good doctor was practically beaming, and I was afraid that if her smile grew any wider her face would split open. I couldn’t see her eyes past her glasses anymore, but I had a feeling her eyes were welled up with happy tears. Rayna seemed prideful. They all had known I was powerful, but we didn’t know it was to this extent. Even just the presence of my blood was destructive. I had a feeling my mother would find a way to use this once she heard about it. A part of me wanted to keep it from her, but that would only make me as bad as her when it came to the truth, and I wasn’t about to begin lying just as she had.
I couldn’t pretend like this wasn’t an exciting development. I finally had the answers to my questions that had started years ago and, with my growing power, they couldn’t have come soon enough.
The whisper that I came to associate with my dearly departed friend Cato, the one who passed this gift to me that I felt was more of a burden than anything, floated through my awareness. I couldn’t make it out at first, but I barely focused on it. That was until one word persisted sharply in the very recesses of my mind that I felt like I never had access to before. A dark, lost, and forgotten place that no one dared venture to.
Danger.
I knew, from that moment on, that there would be no such thing as a safe place anymore. Not for me. Not for anyone.
Not for the Special.
Chapter
SIXTEEN
Shortly after the events in what I wanted to call ‘the showroom,’ I sat in the relative quiet of my mother’s office. Alone. Edgy.
The only sound to accompany me were the steady and repetitive clicks of the second hand moving on the only clock to occupy the space. I had been told to meet my mother in her office where she would review the file of Rayna and the rest of the medical team at the Fallen Paradigm’s findings. It was nice to know that so many were working on my case. Unsettling, but nice all the same to see that others took an interest in the most dangerous weapon on Kiawah Island without wanting to kill me.
My mother came into the room with the soft sound of the unlatching door and came around. I didn’t look back at her, deciding to hold on to what dignity I could in what was one of the toughest moments in my life. My mother’s complete confrontation with what I was since the blood test that doomed us all.
She sat in her chair behind her desk and opened the file that Rayna had placed there. I had done all I could to stop myself from opening it and reading what was inside while sitting in the office and nearly gave in. Now, with my mother holding it in her hands, I was beginning to become more jittery than previously. She focused and then narrowed her eyes at the pages within the tan-colored folder. She only looked like that when she was seriously considering the information in front of her. I just hoped that this information wouldn’t make it to where I had to either leave or be used as a weapon, which had been King’s goal all along.
The Scorned (The Permutation Archives Book 3) Page 18