Chereads / Amidst Our Clandestine Rendezvous / Chapter 8 - First Stage: Denial

Chapter 8 - First Stage: Denial

I woke up to a loud knocking on my door, I unconsciously tried to reach for the clock on my nightstand when I opened my eyes to see that I wasn't in my apartment. I stood up so fast I got whiplash and was forced to go back to lying down. It took a few seconds for the dizziness to wash off when I realized that one, it wasn't a dream and two, who the hell is knocking on my door so bloody early in the morning?

I pushed off the blanket and slowly stood up from the bed. I was still wearing yesterdays clothes but who cares. I pushed the button to open the door and there stood Charles. "Ugh, my day is ruined." I groaned inwardly.

"Well seeing you with that sour expression of "I haven't brushed my teeth nor washed my face yet" isn't exactly my icing on the cake either." he shoved me a folded pair of clothing with a pair of combat boots on top. "Here, wear these and be back out here in an hour." he ordered whilst I was still trying to get over the earlier insult. What did he expect exactly? I just freaking woke up!

I huffed and closed the door while he was still standing there. I put the clothes and shoes on the bed and grabbed my toiletries for a quick shower. Once I finished I got out and tried my hair with a towel.

I picked up the clothes and it was a pair of black cargo pants, black long sleeved dri fit shirt of some kind, and black combat boots. "What the hell is this?" I couldn't help but say out loud. "Am I going into combat or something?" I shook my head and saved the questions for later.

I put them on and stood in front of the mirror, checking the fit. The pants were a bit loose on the waist but that's normal I supposed, I just wore my sports bra underneath. Other than the pants they got my sizes right, even the shoes. Since I have shoulder length wavy hair, I just left it down. I took one last look before putting my card key inside one of the pockets and going outside.

The rest of them were just leaving their rooms also wearing the same outfit as me, but Charles, Nicole, Lennox, and Alexander were wearing something close to uniforms wore by spies in movies--you get the picture. We stood outside our rooms like soldiers at ease. "Who's hungry?" asked Charles.

* * *

We're now at a sort of dining area inside the facility. We stood out like sore thumbs in the crowds of scientists, soldiers--I think--, mechanics and some wearing airforce pilot uniforms. Some stared and some minded their business. These four seem like big shots here because they get a salute or something whenever they pass someone. We got food and indeed it was breakfast; they served toast, eggs, bacon, even pancakes! Don't forget the coffee, it's a necessity.

Since there was nine of us we sat on two separate tables. I sat between Ley and Ethan, and in front of us were Ange and Thea. On the other table was of course Charles sitting next to Lennox and in front of them sat Nicole and Alexander. They glanced here from time to time but I was busy indulging my breakfast to care, I have a clear idea what they were talking about anyway.

After breakfast we went back to the same room as yesterday with the big round and holographic table from King Arthur. The five of us sat at the same seat as yesterday but this time Alexander and Nicole also sat down. Charles and Lennox stayed in front, "First, what you are wearing are bulletproof and shock-absorbent clothes that was created in the laboratories of the facility. It's meant to protect you from any blunt force trauma to any parts of of your body covered by the combat suit. And to demonstrate," I stood up from shock when he pulled out a dagger from his pants and stabbed Ethan's arm with it.

"What the hell?!" yelled Ethan from shock but replaced with amazement when he scanned his arm for any injury. There was no hole nor scratch on the material and no blood. "It didn't even hurt…but what the hell! A little warning next time wouldn't hurt either." exclaimed Ethan to Charles who just gave a shrug.

"Would you have let me if I asked, "Hey I'll be stabbing you now, don't move."? I didn't think so." he went back to the front. I swear this guy…sheesh. "Anyway, proceeding to the problem in hand I will be showing you five videos today and pay very close attention, this is an important clue to who you are and the reason you are here." he gave us another glass tablet each. "Read it's contents later." he swiped his hand on the table and another hologram appeared.

A video with a little girl appeared, she seemed to be sleeping then it skipped to the same girl, she was in the middle of painting or drawing something. She looked small and pale, with curly auburn hair and green eyes--which immediately reminded me of a certain green eyed redhead sitting right in front of me--Thea. All of us thought the same thing, we all looked at Thea wide-eyed. Apparently no one was going to comment on how coincidental that is so I just kept my mouth shut.

"Subject No. 325, a.k.a Thea Dorothy Graham." said Lennox, "Chronokinesis, clairvoyance, and retrocognition--all of these abilities were developed one week after injection of the serum." he swiped the table and information about Thea appeared.

* * *

Name: Thea Dorothy Graham

Test Subject No. 325

Date of Birth: September 25, 1997

Sex: Female

Familial Status: Adopted by the facility at the age of four which was already pass the starting age but was disregarded because of the subjects compatibility with the experiment and showed promising results. After the "Release" the subject was adopted by Sleeper Agents 00182 and 00789.

Experiment: Success

Abilities:

i. Chronokinesis- ability to alter own perception of time causing them to slow down or speed up.

ii. Retrocognition- to see the past.

Conclusion: The first ability enables her to manipulate perception of time and space around the target. We have discovered that the subject had similar abilities to subject No. 234 and are probably interconnected with each other. Her second ability was discovered when she drew the murder of the parents of subject No. 234.

* * *

The footage of young Thea zoomed towards the painting. It was blurry but if you focus enough you'll see two people , a man and a woman with a hole in their head--gunshot to the head.

"It's highly impossible for her to have known such information since it was enclosed highly classified information by the government and yet she was able to draw the murder of two undercover agents during a shoot-out in Brazil." Lennox paused, switching the video to one where was Thea sleeping.

"They analyzed her sleeping patterns, and regular MRI scans only to figure out that she had dreamt of it. Her ability retrocognition enables her to see the past but in this case she sees it through dreams." Lennox stood up and opened Thea's tablet then gave it back to her.

By this time everyone was freaking out, it was like Thea was about to burst into tears as she read whatever it was in her tablet. Ange rubbed Thea's shoulders to comfort her but I'm sure Ange needs comforting herself.

The footage changed once more and this time it was a different girl. This girl was a blue eyed blonde--my eyes instantly darted towards Ange who was still comforting Thea. When she saw the footage she tried to keep her calm but it was evident in her face that she was dreading this. "If you don't mind me asking…" said Ange slowly--hesitating, "if the previous girl is Thea then does that mean, this girl right here," she pointed towards the hologram, "is me?" we all knew the answer.

No one was talking, just listening. Exhausted of asking questions that have answers so far fetched and unbelievable, nothing surprises me at this point. Lennox nodded in confirmation, Ange never spoke after that.

The footage of young Ange showed Ange standing in a room with what I'm assuming is a scientist. She was having tantrums and she kept yelling at the scientist inside the room with her, the next minute the scientist walked towards the glass wall and started banging her head. The door to the room bursted and more people came inside to I assume sedate Ange because she lost consciousness after that.

"They had to sedate her," started Charles, finally speaking "what you saw was Angela a.k.a subject No. 324, manipulating that scientist to bang her head on the glass. Basically mind control or mental manipulation as it stated in her files." he swiped on the screen and this time Ange's info popped up.

* * *

Name: Angela Camille Price

Test Subject No. 324

Date of Birth: March 27, 1997

Sex: Female

Familial Status: Adopted. Parents were murdered in a shoot-out during a trip in Brazil. Parents were Under-Cover Agents working for the government, but they were discovered and were murdered leaving the subject. The subject was discovered by a civilian who brought the subject to our "Orphan Black" to be subjected to processing in the facility. After the "Release" the subject was adopted by Sleeper Agents 00478 and 00366.

Experiment: Success

Abilities:

i. Precognition

ii. Mental Manipulation

Conclusion: The first ability was assessed through putting out different hidden scribbles and images through out a whole 50 square-meter room with objects scattered through out. She found all the cues within 15 minutes. The second ability was tested through a simple prediction games; guess the next color, image etc. then we leveled up and made her predict the lottery numbers--she guessed all six balls. The third ability was discovered by her tantrums, when she suddenly started ordering her care-taker to hit her head on the glass multiple times--we managed to stop her by injecting her with sleeping drugs.

Note: Mind abilities also has to be suppressed like subject No. 29 with medication.

* * *

Lennox swiped the screen and Ange's tablet glowed, like he transferred the info on the screen to Ange's tablet. Ange looked at her own tablet and read the contents. Confusion, uncertainty and most of all fear was written all over her face. Like it terrified her of what she was capable of, I could kind of understand her fear. She's a psychologist, and seeing what she did do that scientist with her mental manipulation, in all honesty that would scare me too.

Lennox swiped on the screen once more and a new child appeared, this time a boy with curly hair which of course was Ethan. This time he was in a room with a giant screen, standing in front of a table kind of like the one we're sat at but rectangular. He had his hand on the table and suddenly the screen glowed showing images of all kinds but soon documents appeared one by one, all had Classified information.

Up to this point, I don't think anything surprises me anymore. "Subject No. 283 also known as Ethan Michael Cross," began Charles. "Has the ability of a hacker without the need to code or type. They called it AI Mind and Scrying, basically he can access any information within the web or any online system in the world." he raised his hand, "With just a touch on any electronic devices like, cellphones, car monitors, laptops and even super computers, he can analyze any information he acquires like a supercomputer himself." he swiped the screen and transferred the info into Ethan's tablet this time. Ethan looked at his screen as if it grew a head and it's staring at him.

* * *

Name: Ethan Michael Cross

Test Subject No. 283

Date of Birth: September 11, 1996

Sex: Male

Familial Status: Adopted. Parents weren't able to survive a plane crash that happened three years after the subject was born. The subject was then took in by Aunt, the sister of the subjects father, and then she also died in a car crash when he was five. The subject survived the car crash but was able to obtain a few scars. After "Release" the subject was obtained and raised by our Sleeper Agents 00719 and 00273.

Experiment: Success

Abilities:

i. AI Mind - ability to access all gadgets, hack into them, etc.

ii. Scrying- view and detect significant information from all technological devices within any system.

Conclusion: the first ability was recognized through his advanced and superhuman ability to hack through servers visible and invisible that are protected with the best government technologies in just five minutes. The second ability was also discovered through the same process, and the last ability enables him to control all known and unknown information through "wiring"--this is his process of navigating through the computer, pathologically.

Note: All of his abilities are interconnected and work as a single mind.

* * *

A new footage showed up on the screen, this time I was a hundred percent sure who it was. Pale with black wavy hair and brown eyes, she was in a shooting range surrounded by all kinds of artillery and firearms.

"Subject No. 50, one of the very first and youngest test subjects during the experiment. Also known as Elizabeth Raphtalia Winslow," I was staring at Charles the whole time, dreading his words but of course I thought I couldn't be surprised anymore but there I was, heart beating so loud to my ears I felt like bursting but I kept it in, I needed to show Ley that it was okay. I'm okay.

The footage continued to my young self inside what looked like a playroom. It was filled with children or test subjects as they called us, a variety of races and age. It looked like I was having a fight over a toy with a boy a little older than me from the looks of it. He suddenly fell to the floor unconscious then a few seconds later he woke up again and then fell back on the floor. This kept on for three more times before the scientists or observers noticed then sedated me.

"What you saw was Elizabeth's ability called Consciousness shattering, it allows her to send brain frequencies high enough to make an adult elephant lose consciousness. She can do this to any person or animal within five feet. The first and second abilities basically makes her the most dangerous and accurate sniper in the world that can shoot a bullseye three miles away, precisely 15,840 feet." he swiped the screen and transferred the information on my tablet.

* * *

Name: Elizabeth Raphtalia Winslow

Test subject No. 050

Date of Birth: May 30, 1996

Sex: Female

Familial Status: Adopted. Parents are unknown. Left at "Orphan Black" by the age of 1 and raised by our facilitators Agents 00736 and 00935. When the subject reached the age of three, she was submerged to the processing and underwent the test. The facilitators grew attached and attempted to run away with the subject, but was immediately eliminated. After the "Release" the subject was then adopted by Sleeper Agents 00176 and 00259.

Experiment Success: Confirmed.

Symptoms: The subject has acquired the following abilities:

i. Remote Viewing

ii. Hyperfocal Distance Viewing

iii. Consciousness shattering.

Conclusion: The first and second abilities are inter-connected with each other. Her Remote Viewing has enabled her to see 2 miles away from her range of sight while Hyperfocal Distance Viewing enabled her see the distance beyond which all objects can be brought into a very clear focus. The third ability has caused a test subject to go in and out of consciousness. We were able to stop her by giving her an injection of sedatives. Her abilities towards handling different types of wide-ranged weapons has grown immensely from handling a handgun to a sniper, and shot through five different targets with different distances--straight through the middle. In accordance to her first ability, we tested her with finding specific small objects around a room full of objects. She found all of it within five minutes.

Note: The third ability needs to be controlled with medication.

* * *

Lennox played another footage, and I know already who it's gonna be, "Last but not the least, the very first successful test subject No. 1 also known as Lillian Grant." The footage showed the same video that we saw yesterday where Ley recognized herself and Doctor Harrington--her real father. "Lillian's abilities allows her to transfer information from another persons mind to her own and vice versa, kind of like mind reading but she can access all and I mean all memory even the ones we forgot and transfer the data to her own. It's a mentally painful process for both involved." he explained.

"But that's only her first ability, her second is even more so mentally draining." the footage changed and Ley was standing in what seems like a courtyard in front of a floating armored car. She was screaming and her nose started to bleed before she lost consciousness and the armored car crashed back to the ground along with her. "From how her brain works, she is able to obviously move physical objects with her mind, also well known for the term Telekinesis." he then transferred the info on her tablet.

* * *

Name: Lillian Grant former Lilac Gray

Test Subject No. 001

Date of Birth: March 28, 1997

Sex: Female

Familial Status: Father is Harrington Gray and head Scientist and leading the experiment. Lilac was the first subject that was tested on. The first successful test subject, after this we started testing on more children but some failed but only some were a true success. After the "Release" Lilac was renamed with a different name and last name, and was adopted by Sleeper Agents 00845 and 00103.

Experiment: Success

Abilities:

i. Historia Scientia

ii. Telekinesis

Conclusion:The first ability was recognized at first as photographic memory but then was realized as an anomaly in the brain that causes her brain waves to connect through out the first discoveries of information known and yet to be known to man which we chose to call Historia Scientia. The second ability was tested through making her move small objects like fruits and toys but was discovered to be very powerful that she managed to lift an armored car in the yard.

Note: Her first and second abilities limits are yet to be discovered.

* * *

"As you can see, all of you here were test subjects of the Project Tree of Life…and all of you have abilities unique to yourselves but there are more of you. This here," Charles said whilst holding an old black tablet, "has all the information that we have just given you. Every single ability and it's user, Harrington risked his life to steal this from the organization, to prevent them from finding you."

I looked at Ley, she looked so lost and confused but I have no clue on how I'll at least lessen the pain, knowing that your own father involved you in some ideal experimentation to turn children into super humans.

"As long as you are here, under our protection, we will show you how to control them and develop--" he was cut off by Ley when she slammed her hands on the table that even made me jump on my seat.

She stood up abruptly from her seat,"Develop? Are you kidding me?!" she shouted then turned and left the room. I was about to follow her when Charles stopped me by grabbing my arm.

I glared at him to let me go, "I'll talk to her." he said then walked away and followed Ley.