-HUNTED-

Chapter 3 - The Lab

The Lab, England, 3rd January 2020

JJ and the motorbike pulled up in front of a huge, steel building, which towered over them.

"Wow..." Lucy said, taking off her helmet and shaking her head to clear it.

"Welcome to The Lab. I'm afraid this is all you're going to see for the moment. The whole building is top secret, and we can't let ANYONE know their way around it."

JJ looked at Major Davis, as he pulled a pistol out of his pocket and shot Lucy in the chest. She slumped forwards, the tranquilizer dart knocking her out in seconds. Before JJ could react, a dart hit his shoulder, and he crumpled to the ground in a heap.

The Lab, 4th January, 2020

"Urgh..." JJ groaned as he sat up, looking around him with blurred, unfocused eyes.

"Ah. You're awake. Good." A boy who looked about JJ's age was sitting on a rug in the lotus position, his eyes closed.

"Who are you?" JJ asked, rubbing his eyes.

"My name is Cameron, and I can move things with just my mind." To prove his point, the bed JJ was lying on started floating up in the air, a few feet above the floor. Startled, JJ fell off his bed and landed face first on the stone floor.

Cameron opened his eyes. "What can you do?"

"I can run faster than the speed of sound."

"Prove it."

"You don't want me to. I create a sonic boom, and the tailwind blows everything over."

"If you say so." Cameron closed his eyes again. JJ sat in silence  for a moment, and then remembered what had happened.

"When did I arrive here?" JJ asked.

"Yesterday."

"What happened to the girl who was with me? Lucy?"

"I don't know about any girl. She would've been put in a separate living space, cos she's a girl. Obviously. What can she do?"

"Telepathic."

"I don't believe you. That's impossible." Cameron stood up.

"Says the telekinetic." smiled JJ.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, and a moment later Major Davis entered, behind him a scientist in a white lab coat.

"JJ. It's time for your first test." announced Major Davis.

"Test?"

"To help you, we need you to stop making a huge tailwind and a sonic boom when you speed up." the scientist said.

"Ah yes. I forgot. JJ, this is Dr. Stevens. He'll be assisting you through your time here at The Lab." Major Davis introduced the scientist to JJ, and they shook hands. Behind them, unnoticed, Cameron frowned.

"So, JJ, if you'd like to come with us, then we can get started."

JJ shrugged, and followed Dr. Stevens out the door, Major Davis closing the door as he left.

"Hello?" Cameron said to the seemingly empty room.

JJ stood with his arms raised, as Dr. Stevens took measurements of him. "Remind me why you're doing this again?" JJ asked.

"We need to see if we can create a piece of clothing for you to wear which should eliminate the back draft and the sonic boom, allowing you to be silent and unnoticed when you speed up."

"Nice." JJ remarked, and lowered his arms.

"How fast can you go?" Asked Major Davis.

"Don’t know. Faster than the speed of sound, I know that much."

"Dr. Stevens. Is there any way we can test out how fast he can go?"

"Well, we can go to the running track and use the speed gun. I don't think our treadmill will be able to take that much stress."

"Right. Let's go."

Lucy sat in the corner of her room, doing what she had been told. She was trying to focus her mind on one person. Anyone. But only one person.

Gradually all the thoughts of everyone filtered out, until Lucy could only hear her thoughts, and those of Major Davis, as he walked past her room with JJ in tow.

'If we can stop the sonic boom and the back draft, JJ will be perfect for us.'

Lucy opened her eyes in shock. "What?!"

Major Davis held the speed gun in his hand, pointing it at JJ, and staring in wonderment at the ever-increasing speed. "How is this possible? He's already exceeded Mach 2!" Dr. Stevens exclaimed.

The running track was being destroyed by JJ, and so Major Davis texted JJ, who slowed down as soon as the text had been sent, switching from being a blur to normality in less than a second.

"Perfect JJ. Now, tomorrow, we're going to see if we can minimize damage to the surroundings." Dr. Stevens announced. JJ looked behind him at the demolished building. He winced. "Sorry!"