Battle Born

6: Kidnapped

His first several weeks were a disaster in school. He was overly intelligent in all his classes, PE was way too easy, he just struggled to speak. He had no one to talk to either, everyone made fun of him, and he struggled to keep his aggression down. He didn't want to let Papa down. He was called upon in one of the classes to answer a question out loud and when he whispered it, the kids laughed and called him a freak. He started to do the only thing he knew, children started to have accidents. Tripping downstairs, wetting themselves; one kid was extra tough on Luka, he happened to have broken his arm. Dr. Ulrich and Dr. Malcolmson knew exactly what was happening. Luka was punished at the compound. Luka eventually had to have special classes with Dr. Ulrich, and it didn't make Luka feel any easier about Dr. Ulrich. Luka wished he understood his senses a lot sooner, but he didn't, not until it was too late. The special classes were nothing he wasn't used to, he understood they were trying to condition him back into programming. His only solace was his friend Billy.

One day during one of the special classes Dr. Ulrich was different. Instead of the conditioning videos he had to watch, Dr. Ulrich just started to speak what was on his mind. He sat at his desk as Luka sat on the couch. "You know, several years ago was when Dr. Malcolmson started to bring these Program Boys in. We helped them to socialize and even for espionage, but he is right about you. You are something special. Very rebellious, there is an immense amount of pent of anger in you. You are literally a soldier in a 13-year-old boy's body. You are destined for something great, but I don't know what it is. He knows you are special, and so do I." Dr. Ulrich stated. The conversation was strange, and Luka couldn't get it out of his mind.

Ever since he had spoken to Luka, he had become even more unusual. He was becoming touchier. Luka was growing more uncomfortable around him. He started to tell Luka his dirty secrets, his dark horrible secrets that came from his mind. Things he had done, but Luka knew he was telling him because who was Luka going to tell...no one. Dr. Ulrich started to take him out of school, he would take him places; eventually he started to follow Luka as he walked to his designated pick-up spot. He knew better than to run away, he tried it, he got punished for it. The man was beginning to scare Luka. He tried to tell his Papa, but he wasn't listening. He was very busy with work.

Luka knew he couldn't tell Papa, he wouldn't listen. Something was wrong with Dr. Ulrich, and Luka could feel it. All he could to was talk to Billy as they trained in the compound, away from other children and the prying ears of a man that continued to follow Luka. Billy moved the ball across the room in the air as he handed it off to Luka. "So, do you think he's going to do something bad?" Billy asked telepathically. They didn't want the handlers to know they were talking to each other. "I think so. I don't feel safe around him." Luka admitted. "Shit, do you think Dr. Malcolmson knows about him?" Billy asked. "I think he knows. He knows about Carruthers, and he still does things to me? I don't think he cares." Luka admitted. "That's the shitty thing about people here. They don't care. It's all part of the program. I heard from some older kids in the program last year before they moved them out to new programs. They train you to do that shit. I don't want to do that!" Billy insisted. "I don't either. I don't like that at all." Luka admitted. They finished their training for the night as Luka was taken back up to his room.

He sat on his bed staring at the wall like he did most nights. Sleep was never something he was good at. He heard his door as he looked over as it opened up. Luka turned as he saw Billy. "What are you doing here still? Shouldn't you be taken home for school?" Luka asked. "I'm supposed to be, but I don't know. They do this occasionally. My dad thinks I'm a drug addict." Billy said as he showed Luka his arms. His arms were riddled with marks from needles. "Is that why you always wear long sleeves?" Luka asked. "It's hard being 13 and constantly fighting your dad and being called a drug addict. They just drug me and bring me here. It's fucking stupid." Billy admitted. "How did you find me up here?" Luka asked. "I remote viewed and followed your energy." Billy admitted. "They will get mad if they know you are in here. I'm not supposed to have anyone in here." Luka insisted. "You going to rat me out?" Billy asked as Luka shook his head. "Of course not. You're my only friend." Luka admitted. "You're mine too." Billy spoke as he stood next to the door. "You should come over here, so your camera isn't picking you up talking to someone." Billy admitted as Luka looked at the camera. He got up and walked over to the door, so the camera couldn't pick him up.