Other Fan Fiction ❯ Living the Shadows ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Lily stood at the front of the room once again flanked by a T.V. hooked up to a VCR. She began like she had every other time, for every other woman Kaden and his team had to go in search of from Whitney's experiments.

 

“Her name is Meadow Rivers, or it was when she was here. Her training alias was Field Waters.” She began.

 

“As smart as Dr. Whitney was, you would think he could come up with better training alias,” Gator cut in with a chuckle.

 

Lily smiled slightly and said, “Yes you would. But Dr. Whitney conducted only a few experiments with Meadow. The majority was conducted by a Dr. M.”

 

“Dr. M? He's never come up with any of the others. Do you know him Lily?” Ryland asked as he moved from one of the desks to stand beside his wife.

 

She shook her head at him and refocused on the group. “She displays unthinkable power. Dr. M's experiments with her were cruel and terrifying, much more so than anything my father had conducted. I'll show you the one's in which my father did first.” Turning she pushed the video into the player and stood back so the rest could see.

 

A little girl, barely a year old and with unruly blonde curls appeared on the screen. “This is Meadow at 15 months old.” Lily cut in.

 

The child stood up and walked over to a nurse. She looked back at the two-way glass room that housed Dr. Whitney and shook her head. “Hmph.” You heard from the screen as Dr. Whitney made his displeasure known. There was a rustling of papers as the little girl just continued to stare at the glass. “The subject seems to be reluctant to participate in the experiment.” He voiced for the camera. An arm appeared at the bottom of the screen as Whitney leaned forward to press the intercom. “Make her participate Nurse Simmione.” Whitney barked.

 

The young black nurse leaned over the little girl and tried her best to smile. “Meadow honey, lets show the doctor how talented you are. Make me do what you want me to do.” The woman's strong Jamaican accent cajoled.

 

The camera zoomed in and focused on the two. The little girl frowned and stepped back from the woman. “No. I don't want it. It hurts when I do it and I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to do.”

 

“Lily pause the tape.” Gator said. Lily complied.

 

“You said she was only 15 months old here?”

 

“Yes Gator. 15 months. She should barely be walking and just beginning to form words. But you will see later in the tape that she is almost like a tiny adult. She speaks in coherent thoughts and her mobility is outstanding for a child her age. Just watch.” Lily pressed play.

 

“Where does it hurt honey?” Nurse Simmione asked while glaring at the two-way mirror.

 

“It makes my head hurt badly.” Meadow replied.

 

Whitney's voice cut in. “Tell her she will participate or she will not get any toys or books.”

 

Meadows head snapped toward the camera and she pouted. The first child-like action she displayed.

 

“Come on sweetie. Just a little while and then we can go to your room and play.”

 

The girl looked up at the nurse and seemed to be weighing her options. Finally she nodded.

 

Lily paused the tape again. “What you're getting ready to see is really amazing. I still haven't quite figured out how she does it and I probably won't be able to fully until I speak with her. At first I thought it was pure mind control but I believe now that it goes far beyond that. She seems to be manipulating the particles and atoms in humans and objects into a pattern that she desires. The result is the person losing control of their actions at her command.” She pressed play again.

 

There was a tall cart to the right of the nurse with various items on it; food, cosmetics, and toys. Meadow studied each item from her place and then sat down in front of the nurse.

 

The nurse looked stunned as her hand rose up and grasped a slice of bread. Meadow simply took the bread from her and began eating. The little girl shifted her gaze toward the camera and blinked.

 

“Is that all?” Whitney's voice demanded over the intercom.

 

“It was enough for me.” Nurse Simmione said faintly as if unsettled.

 

“No. Make her do something else this time. Again.”

 

Meadow looked back at the nurse and sighed. “My head is already hurting. Please Nurse Simmione. Let me go play.”

 

The nurse's features turned into a frown as she kneeled down in front of the toddler. Her request was heartbreaking.

 

“Aww child, just do one more thing. Do something really special for Dr. Whitney and then we will go play and get a snack ok?”

 

The little girl looked downtrodden but nodded. She closed her eyes as if in deep concentration. All of a sudden, the nurse began to giggle and float.

 

“I can fly!” The nurse squealed happily. She flapped her arms and floated across the room. She was soon to the top of the ceiling and floating on her back as she laughed.

 

Meadows whole body was rigid with the exertion and sweat had already soaked her blonde curly locks.

 

The nurse began floating back down and had almost touched the floor when Meadow screeched in pain and the woman fell. Immediately the nurse was up and at Meadows side. The child was rocking back and forth keening and holding the sides of her head. Suddenly her light green eyes opened and the camera shut off.

 

For a moment the whole room was silent. Finally, Nicolas broke the silence.

 

“So not only does she control minds, she can levitate things too. Like you?” He asked.

 

“No. At least I don't think so Nico.” Lily said. “There is a natural law for atoms and particles that states that they only exist to follow one rule. They are made for one purpose only and they must follow that purpose or cease to exist. I believe that Meadow is able to change that purpose, if only for a moment, and allow the atoms and particles in any basic structure to perform specifically what she wants it to. She convinced the particles in Nurse Simmiones body that they were lighted than gravity and could fly, thus the nurse believed she could fly and was able to.”

 

“So what you're saying is that it isn't a simple mind trick for her. She actually changes the structures of the most basic forms of life into what she wants?” Volunteered Kaden

 

“Yes to put it simply. She can control the basic structure of anything, living or not, and manipulate it to her needs.” Lily added with pure amazement in her voice.

 

“That's makes her dangerous. Really dangerous.” Kaden said.

 

“Yes it does.” Lily conceded. “Out of all the girls, she was the one with the most natural talent. It was written in her file that as an infant, she never cried. She simply made whoever was taking care of her do what Meadow wanted or needed. There was no need to cry. But you get to see exactly how dangerous she is in the last video. It was conducted 3 days before she escaped from the compound.”

 

Lily showed them a few more videos with experiments that Whitney had conducted. Each had Meadow display a little more control and power but still ended in devastating headaches or fainting. When Lily stood up to put on the last tape. She took a deep breath and faced the group.

 

“This isn't the first experiment that was conducted by Dr. M but it is the most important and most devastating. All the other tapes with him are basically torture for both Meadow and her human test subjects. He pushed her too far in this one and it had a horrible outcome. Probably one she was haunted by ever since she escaped.” She pushed play on the last video.

 

Meadow appears in the immediate left corner of the screen. She's huddled as tightly as possible there and her eyes are wide and wary. A voice that no one recognizes comes in.

 

“Now Fields, this experiment is to test your defense skills. Lets see how well you do.”

 

Meadow's features go blank as soon as she hears the voice. She stands up slowly but doesn't move from the corner. She can tell something terrible is about to happen. Suddenly, there are men running in from the door to the room. They are all carrying weapons and easily surround her. She eyes widen in terror as the first man slaps her heard across the mouth.

 

“Freaky bitch.” He yells in her face. It takes her a moment to clear away the pain and shock of what happened.

 

The man who struck her turns to the rest of the group. “She's one of them. We have to get rid of her. Now!”

 

All at once chaos breaks loose. The men are hitting and kicking the young girl but she never once cries out. You can barely see her in the mess of men. Suddenly all action halts around her. Her eyes are crazed and focused. She stands up slowly, coved in her own blood. The room is completely still and silent. Then there is a loud `crack.' The first man who hit her screams in shock and pain as his leg in broken at the femur. Another mans arm snaps. One by one the men go down in pain and agony as various bones in their body break and shatter. Once they are all subdued, Meadow collapses, jus staring at the damage she had done. The voice comes on again.

 

“Very good Fields. Take a week to recover from your wounds and then we will move on to the next level next week.”

 

She girl doesn't even move as the camera is turned off.

 

Many of the men in the room curse. Lily faces the group with tears streaming down her face. “Dr. M forced her to protect herself. He put her in a situation where she could do nothing but let her instincts take over and retaliate. He left shortly after her escape. My father, Dr. Whitney, found her tapes and made his own notes on what he witnessed in them. He never knew for sure why Dr. M chose Meadow but he believes it was because not only did she have the most power, he's could be the most devastating. She could make people do and believe things, and Dr. Whitney believes that she has the power to make people self-destruct.”

 

Her husband frowned. “You mean like kill themselves?”

 

“No I mean that she could convince the body that it no longer exists and the person just dies. The body shuts down organ by organ until there is nothing left.”

 

“Jesus.” Ryland said.

 

“We have to find her Ry. We can't leave her out there. She isn't an anchor and is more vulnerable because her power revolves mostly in her brain.”

 

Ryland turns to Kaden knowing that he would be the one leading them as the new captain. “Well Kaden? What do you think.”

 

“We got all the others back, she'll be the last.”

 

“And probably the most difficult,” Nico added.

 

Kaden nodded. “All right. Lets set it up.”

 

~*~*~*~

 

It really wasn't so bad. Living by herself certainly had its perks. At least she didn't wake up and stumble into the kitchen only to find Ethan rummaging through the fridge in his boxers with morning wood. That had been an embarrassing episode that was repeated more times than she cared to count. Shaking her head she leaned over and spit the toothpaste into the sink as she continued to brush her teeth and prepare for bed. She felt a headache ebbing at the back of her skull and she groaned. She had been getting them more and more frequently since she moved out of the apartment she shared with Ethan three weeks ago. It was a minor set back from being on her own. He had almost insisted she stay but she was adamant about moving out. He had a fiancé and she wasn't about to live with him after that. It would be too awkward. Sure she loved Lydia and Lydia had seconded Ethan's opinion that she stay but Meadow wanted to move out. She was 25, almost 26, and she had never lived on her own. It was about time.

 

She rinsed her mouth and pulled her curly blonde hair into a high ponytail on top of her head. She gave herself a weak smile in mirror, shut off the light and went to climb in bed to hopefully get a good night rest.

 

She walked to the window of her brand new home and stared at the endless blanket of stars overhead. Suddenly she felt an overwhelming sense of peace, much like if Ethan had walked into the room. Feeling content enough to lie down and know she would fall asleep immediately, she made her way to the bed. She took a deep breath as her head hit the pillow and felt herself slip into oblivion.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

If Kaden had been a cursing man he would have done it now. Every time. Every damn time they go to get back one of the girls Whitney had abandoned into the world his team has to first get rid of the other teams that were there to kill off or capture anyone that was in Whitney's original experiments. On top of that, he had to get the girl out safe. He looked back at the men he had brought with him. Men he trusted with his life. There was Ryland Milled, former Captain of the Ghost Walker team that Kaden was now leading; until he married Lily Whitney. Raoul “Gator” Fontenot was one of his best hand-to-hand men and married to Flame; the spit-fire from Whitney's original experiments. Then there was Nicolas Trevane; husband and protector of Dahlia Le Blanc and best sniper to ever get behind a scope. They were outnumbered by four but they had had worse odds. Kaden signaled for Nico to hit the roof and the other two to take position around the house that Meadow lived in.

 

“I'm in position.” Nico whispered in his mind. Kaden could feel the enemy team making their way toward them and used his power to mask the position of his men so the others couldn't feel them in return.

 

“Gator, you good?” Kaden asked silently.

 

“Yeah Captain. I'm in position too.” Gator answered.

 

“Rye?”

 

“Same here.” Ryland confirmed.

 

“Good. Let's do it.” Kaden commanded.

 

Immediately they all swept into action. Nico automatically took out two at the silent skill of his rifle. Six versus four, the odds were better. Kaden waited for the man to his immediate left to make his way to him. He slid the knife up slowly from his boot and waited to strike. There was an opening; immediately he sprung and the man was down before he even had time to react and Kaden slipped into the shadow, blurring his image so to be better camouflaged. Another guy came around the corner and saw his downed comrade. He began cautiously looking for the assailant and circled. Kaden slowly immerged from the shadow and crept toward the guy. The man spun and brought up his weapon, which Kaden easily deflected. Spinning out of the way of a jab toward his throat, he ducked under the mans arm and landed a solid kick to the guys kidney. The man seemed to ignore the pain and came after Kaden again. After a brief struggle, Kaden's knife landed in the other man's femoral artery; he would be dead within minutes.

 

Kaden retrieved his knife, mumbling a short prayer for the two men and searched the area for more enemy assailants. Satisfied his zone was clear he waited a minute or two more before contacting his team not wanting to distract them from a fight.

 

“Everyone clear?” He asked reaching out with his mind.

 

He received a series to affirmatives. Silently nodding his head, more to reassure himself he made his way back to his original position in retrieval of the girl.

 

As he crossed the front door he was shocked when it was thrown open and woman in her tank top a pair of panties and tennis shoes came streaking through the door.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

Meadow awoke feeling very sick. An overwhelming combination of anxiety, apprehension, and fear clenched her mind and wouldn't let go. Shakily she made her way toward the door of her bedroom, going to get a glass of water. She attempted to think logically. Her house was in the middle of a small forest. She had picked it because there was no one around for miles thus no stray human emotions to plague her. So what was making her sick? Then she heard it; the distinct silvery sound of a silencer engaging. Frozen in place for a moment her brain was telling her to run. Not bothering to try to find clothes, she grabbed a pair or tennis shoes and stealthily made her way down the stairs. With those emotions flooding her she had no way of knowing whether or not anyone was in her house. Outside she could hear sounds of a scuffle as she made her toward the front door. She waited a few minutes until the sounds stopped before throwing open the door and making a run for it.

 

~*~*~*~

 

The woman practically mowed him down as she took off for the forest. Momentarily shocked by her sudden escape it took him a moment to take off after her.

 

For such a small woman she was quick on her feet and apparently in great shape. She darted in between the trees and coming very close to losing him a few times but he kept up with her.

 

He could already feel more enemy in the area. He didn't have time to be playing cat and mouse with a half naked woman.

 

“Kaden, what the hell is going on?” Gator asked in his mind.

 

“Meadow came darting out of the house. I'm trying to catch her.” Kaden snapped back.

 

He could here the cumulative chuckles in his mind. He guessed he deserved it. She had caught him off guard.

 

“So the little minx has got you on the run has she? Looks like you finally met your match Cap.” Gator taunted.

 

“Shut up and get your butts over here. There's enemy in the area and I need back up.” He barked off the command, sounding a little more defensive than necessary as he closed the mental connection.

 

Suddenly a 5'4 hellcat knocked him on his ass. Meadow straddled him and got one good swing in before he could catch her arms.

 

“Let me go!” She screeched as she struggled. For a little thing, she was strong. She was able to get loose and run a few feet before he had her again.

 

“Who are you? What do you want with me? Let me go!” She screamed as she continued to struggle.

 

Lucky for him she seemed to be to agitated to use her power on him. He was sure she would have been able to make him do what she wanted otherwise. He had to keep her mind on him and not what she could make him do. He, on the other hand, was trying not to think of how good her petite body felt pressed against him; in his arms.

 

“Be quiet. There are a lot of enemies in the area and I can't protect you if you keep making all that noise.” His whispered tersely.

 

She stopped struggling at that and looked up in shock. She deflated after a minute and closed her eyes painfully.

 

“You're like Ethan aren't you?” She asked quietly.

 

When he nodded she said, “Please let me go. You helped a lot but I think I'm going to be sick.”

 

“Are you going to run again?” He asked.

She shook her head. “I think I'm too weak even if I wanted to. It's been a long time since I was on that kind of over-load.”

 

He slowly released her trying to ignore the feeling of near pain at the loss of her warmth. He watched her lean over and heave violently. His heart clenched at the sound.

 

When she was done she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and shakily stood.

 

“There are others like you too; with you. Here.” She stated. No question in her voice.

 

“Yes. They are here to protect you too.”

 

“From what?” She asked.

 

“Does the name Dr. Whitney mean anything to you?'

 

She stiffened visibly and her jaw was set in a grim line. “Are you taking me back to him?”

 

“No. Whitney is dead. Killed actually. Or at least we all think he is.” He said grasping her wrist. He wasn't sure if it was in comfort her or just to simply be touching her.

 

“Dead?” She asked, her green eyes wide.

 

Kaden simply nodded. “I'm work with Lily Whitney, now Lily Miller, in getting all the girls from Whitney's experiment back. But every time we find a girl another team, like us, comes after her too. We aren't sure what they intend to do with her if they ever got her but we know it isn't give her a nice little vacation in the Pocono's.”

 

“You said like `us.' Do you mean your team or you and me?”

 

“Both actually.” He said with a shrug.

 

She stared at him a moment before her eyes widen in realization. “He experimented on others. On you?”

 

He gave a curt nod. And began to survey the area.

 

“You said there were others with you. Where are they?”

 

Not glancing down at her to answer her question, he continued his surveillance. “They're here. Or they should be soon. Where are they?”

 

“We're here.” Nico said striding through the trees followed by Ryland and Gator.

 

“And we've got company.” Added Ryland.