Untouchable (ON HOLD)

Untouchable Ch.11

Jason was vaguely aware of his surroundings as he slowly came to. He was in what felt like a hospital bed, and dim white lights burned through his eyelids. He shivered in the slight chill of the air. He felt someone watching him and he immediately tried to teleport himself.

Jason screamed when, instead of flashing himself out, he was subjected to a series a of painful electric shocks.

“Don’t try it again!” A feminine voice near him whispered. “They figured it out- with a physical ability like yours, the only way to stop you from using it is to inflict pain.”

Confused and in pain, Jason forced his eyes open and stared into the face of a slender blonde girl with thick-rimmed glasses. She proceeded to place a blanket over Jason as she spoke. “My name’s Annie Carlson. I’m 18 and I’ve been at Mr. Zander’s Agency for a year now.” She noticed the way Jason’s eyes widened at Zander’s name as she lowered her voice. “Yes, I know. Zander’s a creep. A genius, wealthy creep. He’s taken the research my father sent him and hired top scientists to analyze and build on it-much cheaper and more efficiently than my dad ever did.”

Jason whispered weakly to Annie, “You’re… Dr. Carlson’s daughter?”

She nodded and sat down on a chair near the bed. “He doesn’t know I’m here, though- he thinks I’m at college and I want to keep it that way.” Anne proceeded to explain that Jason was in the hospital wing of Zander's major research center in Seattle. Annie had lied to her father about school and now instead of living with her grandmother and attending college, she was forced to assist with Zander's research for the past year.

“My eyesight was so horrible and I was legally visually impaired,” She explained. “I heard about Zander’s research facility and thought he could help somehow. I knew my father wouldn’t approve so I couldn’t tell him. Zander’s “treatments” turned out to be special experiments on me. I began to get scared because I heard the scientists mentioning words like DNA and abilities-they sounded like my father. After a few months, my vision improved so significantly that I could see fine through these glasses-” She started taking off her glasses as she spoke. “But the glasses prohibit me from using my new... ability. I’m the first and only attempt at giving someone special abilities that are supposed to be genetic. Do you want to know what I can do?”

Annie removed her glasses and placed a palm reluctantly on Jason’s arm and instantly Jason was watching Angie. Angie was strapped in the passenger seat of a car next to Alex, tears streaming down her face. Jason was scared for a moment-Alex wasn’t a great driver! Alex turned the key in the ignition and placed a palm on Angie’s hand and spoke to her.

“Carlson’s gone to find Zander, and he has the only plane ticket, remember? And the drive is three hours, tops. You’ll see him again, I promise.” As Alex and Angie started to drive Jason was pulled back into the bed where he lay and gazed in awe at Annie.

“What just happened?” He muttered hoarsely.

Annie shoved her glasses back on. “That’s what I do now. I can go-or take others-to any event that’s happening anywhere on earth in the present. I am only able to watch as like a third party observer- hey! Stop looking at me like this is one of the most amazing things to be able to do! I can’t control it at all; without my glasses I’m constantly forced to see anything and anyone at all times. I get to watch babies be born or puppies and kittens, but sometimes I see orphan children or domestic violence or other things... I know these things are happening-heck-I can see these things happening, but there is nothing I can do about them, and it’s the worst feeling anyone could ever have.”

Jason looked into Annie’s pale blue eyes that seemed to have aged in the few minutes she was sitting with him. She quietly let a sniffle go and Jason looked up into the oppressive-feeling dim lights. As a reflex he tried to teleport himself and became aware of the bands on his wrists and ankles that were administering the shocks. He took the pain gracefully, merely gritting his teeth.

Annie seemed to have composed herself and got up and fluffed Jason’s pillow. “I’m supposed to keep you from doing that, because they want you to stay here, but they want you to stay healthy.” Annie sighed as she leaned near his ear. “Both my father and your friends are coming, right as we speak. They’ll come rescue us from this awful place, I know it.”