Experiment X1A-9424

Xia stood straight and tall before his father who was speaking quietly to another military man about the test results. Six months had past since Xia's escape and many things had changed. The once naive, innocent child had become cold and quiet. Months of behavioral training had modified the almost rebellious nature into an automatic machine.

Xia's bruises were caused more from training and tests then from his father, though he received them from time to time mainly due to his lack of communication skills though Lt. Barnett felt real education of any kind was a waste of time. Tests had changed over the last few months as Xia finally began to harness his abilities though they never came easily nor quickly.

The tests were always life threatening and without that desperate edge Xia couldn't use his speed or strength. It wasn't until those moments he was sure he was going to die that they kicked in. Xia felt a difference when this happened, it was extremely subtle and if it hadn't been for the fact that this was what he was trying to figure out, he may never have noticed the slight change in his psych.

He couldn't explain it no matter how hard he tried and it frustrated him and Lt. Barnett to no end. He tried to explain that it wasn't the light beyond the wall, it was the wall. Which made no sense to either of them, but Xia knew it was the right answer.

He finally knew the 'light' everyone was obsessed with, it was the one beyond the wall. One he couldn't touch no matter how hard he tried though he was beaten hard and was told that he had used it once during a test after his 15th birthday. Xia of course had no idea what they were talking about even after he was forced to sit and watch the test on a computer screen for hours on end.
He was told that he had glowed, and the computers had gone haywire. All Xia saw was himself running then the screen flicking and shifting before settling and his recorded self on his knees on the ground, exhausted and begging to be let out. No glowing though all the doctors and lab assistants swore he had glowed.

Xia was stirred from his thoughts as his name was spoken harshly by the man everyone called his father but that he knew meant nothing special.

“Yes, sir?” he asked flatly before feeling the sting of Lt. Bennet’s hand.

“I asked you a question, if you had been paying attention you would have known this,” he growled at the experiment.

“He is getting better but from time to time his mind seems to wander. I should have this under control soon, another few months and he should well conditioned.”

“Good. Now you have told me about the tests, how are the results?” the tall but elderly man asked, circling the experiment, metals and ribbons covered his uniform.

“Much improved. We have found a trigger to his abilities and we are able to escalate the test quickly to reach the near-death variable. His response time as also been improving, the next step to for the response to become an offensive action instead of a defensive action. The scientists have been monitoring his brain waves, heart rates, taking pre and post blood samples for testing. There has been some talk about brain fluid testing, which will be starting next week. He has a surgery this afternoon to prep him for quick fluid retrieval.”

“He is a on the small side and pale too,” the man muttered as he listened to the information.

“Yes, it is believed to be due to his lack of sunlight though he has been given the same nutrients through other means.”

“Everything sounds well and good. It seems under your control, this project is finally yielding some steady results. I will ensure funding continues. I look forward to the results six months from now.”

“Thank you, sir. If you wish to follow me, I will show you the testing labs.”

Lt. Barnet nodded to some of the doctors waiting on the sidelines who immediately went to Xia and the two military men left.

Dr. Various grabbed Xia’s upper arm, “come on, lets get you prepped for surgery.”

This was the first time Xia was hearing about a surgery and he felt his stomach clench, “Dr. Various, what is this surgery?”

“We want to test brain chemical levels, we need to get fluid from up here,” he jabbed Xia hard in the back of the head.

“We are going to put a bag in your head under the skin that will retrieve the fluid from your skull. Needle goes in, gets fluid, presto done.”

Xia didn’t really understand but nodded anyways, he licked his lips and tasted iron, realizing his lip had slip when Lt. Barnet had smacked him. They continued down the hall until they reached one of the many white rooms.

Inside he was told to sit on a cold metal table. Hands pushed his head forward and he heard a soft whirl before something touched him at the back of his head, he felt the vibration but didn’t move a muscle. He saw his hair falling to the floor. Hands then grabbed his arms, tapping his inner elbows hard as rubber cords were tied to both upper arms. His inner arms were long scarred with track marks from needles and IVs.

Two IVs line ports were inserted, while the back of his head was scrubbed hard with cold liquids. Done he was told to change from the military fatigues Lt. Barnet insisted he wear to the old hospital pajamas he had been use to wearing. One of the ports was connected to an IV line and he was told to sit and wait. They would come for him when they were read.

Xia was quiet the entire time until they left. There were no soldiers here, no one for once dogging his every step. He took a shaking breath and every so softly began to sing, his voice course from disuse but slowly melting to honey. He stopped quickly looking around terrified for something to come barging him to strike him. No one came but he didn’t dare open his mouth again.

He wasn’t sure how long he waited but soon people began entering, a gurney prepped to take him to the sterile surgery suit. He was pumped with a few more drugs, which made him light headed and sleepy, he didn’t remember the trip down the hall, the flashing lights above him of the surgery table before he was turned onto his stomach, nor did he remember glancing at the long window and looking at Lt. Barnet with pure hate. He only remembered darkness and despair.

---------- ---------

Megan was back at work after her vacation. She had slipped back into an almost normal routine; her relationship with Ryan had improved after some rough patches. Neither spoke about the strange boy, a sore point in their relationship. Megan thought of him every day and wondered how the boy was.

Currently, she was in her office staring at the doctor’s without borders letter offering her and Ryan positions on the next mission to Thailand. She and Ryan were apart of the association, making money contribution, keeping up with the news and social networking but out of hundreds of others why offer them positions when so many doctors were applying. It was unusual but not unheard of but normally famous doctors were offered positions. While she and Ryan weren’t exactly off the grid, they both had many medical papers published in medical journals and magazines; they were not exactly famous either. Example neither of them had ever been asked to speak at conventions or symposiums.

She knew Ryan would want to do it, to get them away from everything and the memories. They had been discussing moving back into town, closer to the hospital, into a condo instead of the countryside with the large house meant for a family. Megan on the other hand was half hoping the boy would show up in the hospital again. She hadn’t missed a single day of work since she returned, and even went in early and stayed late.

A part of her knew, she would probably never see him again. He had probably been relocation or increase security measure had been taken to keep the same incident from happening again. Megan wondered if this was how it felt to be a mother. To always worried and wondered about a child who was away from home? It honestly made her wondered if she really wanted a child, to fret over constantly. Her soul told her she did.

A knock on her open door made her look up. Ryan was poking his head in, she smiled at him and waved the letter in the air.

“You got one?” she asked.

“I did,” replied walking in and sitting down in front of his wife’s desk.

“What do you think?” she asked softly though she knew the answer.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and propping up his head, “that we should go.”

“And if I don’t want to?” she asked.

“I would ask why and you would say you didn’t really want to which we both know isn’t the real reason. Then I would poke you until you told me the truth to which we would both become frustrated and then we would argue and nothing would be resolved nor decided.”

Megan blinked, the man knew her to her core. He wasn’t fooled by her seemingly normal behavior not to know she was constantly thinking about the kid.

She opened her mouth to protest anyways but snapped it shut, no point in lying.

“I know…” she said instead.

“I think helping kids that really need it might help you let go.”

“I will think about it.”

Ryan stood up and walked around the table, kissing his wife on the top of her hair mumble into her hair, “That is all I ask.”

Megan watched him leave and wondered if he wouldn’t be going without her and where would that leave her.

Notes