Wraith

Chapter 08: Ricochet

Chapter 08: Ricochet

Denise and I headed for the base, diving into the ground and phasing through the earth. As we drew near, we made a wide patrol around the exterior, looking at every room and corridor for some indication of where Dr. Powel would keep his secrets.

"I think this is it," I suggested.

"What makes you so sure?" Denise asked about the ordinary room before us.

"The hallway is guarded," I explained. I pointed to the two soldiers stationed at the far end of the corridor. Redirecting her attention to the office door, I made mention of the two other security measures. "A card reader is positioned just above the door handle, and the black box on the wall is a retina scanner. They wouldn't put in such heavy countermeasures for just anyone's office."

"I agree," she replied. "This has to be it."

We went around to the side, coming in through the wall and bypassing the advanced security at the door. A filing cabinet was wedged into the corner, but the lock on it presented no great challenge. A large wooden desk sat opposite the door. The only chair was positioned behind the desk, indicating the doctor made visitors stand while in his presence.

I released Denise's hand, reinstating her natural physical state, and I put my fingers through the lock on the filing cabinet, turning it shadow. Making one hand solid, I opened the drawer without interference. Pulling my fingers out of the lock, I became whole to inspect the papers. The files rustled as I shifted them around and flipped between them in the folders within the drawer.

"I have a report here about the completion of a suppressant," I whispered to Denise, keeping my voice down to avoid being overheard by the soldiers in the hallway. "It negates the powers of anyone experimented on for two hours per dosage."

"Do you think it could be in here?" Denise asked, tapping a white box mounted on the wall. A bright red cross displayed on its cover indicated its medical contents.

I took a hold of the lid and turned it shadow, pulling it away from the hinges and easily opening it. Rows of small bottles of brown glass were neatly organized on three shelves inside the container. Removing one of the bottles, I held it up to the light. A clear fluid sloshed inside.

"Yeah," I confirmed. "This is it."

We took a total of five bottles, pulling the others forward to hide the absence of those we'd appropriated. Turning the lid shadow again, I put it back in place, and when it became solid, it attached to the hinges and lock as if it had never been removed. I put the bottles in my pocket before returning to the file cabinet and reviewing the documents where I'd left off.

"Here's your file," I told Denise when I discovered a paper with her picture attached to it by a paperclip. A strange thought occurred to me, and I decided to give it voice. "I wonder why your file is in Powel's private cabinet while the others were located in the records room."

"Here's why," Denise answered, pointing to the papers she'd been reviewing on the desk.

I moved from the cabinet to stand beside her and look at her discovery. The pages were a part of a report from one of the science teams examining the genetic powers of the test subjects. The team believed they had isolated the key sequences and were ready to remove the powers of one of the subjects and implant them into one of the doctor's military operatives.

The estimated survival chance of the test subject was poor, but successful installation of the new abilities was a near certitude. The science team seemed unconcerned with the possible casualties incurred among the people being harvested. On the schedule for the removal procedure, Denise led the list. I checked the dates along the right hand side of the page.