The Haven Project

Chapter 13

I awoke strapped to a chair, gasping for air.  I was in the same room they had taken me to before, but I didn't remember them bringing me a second time.  They must have drugged me and taken me when I was sleeping.  I looked around, but the shadows hid whatever was lurking in the dark.  I tried to wiggle out of the bonds around my wrists, but they held fast.  A soft clacking of high heels on a tile floor echoed around me.  I could hear it getting closer, but I still couldn't see who was wearing them.  Finally, a tall woman emerged from the dark.

"Hello Bryson.  Did you sleep well?"

Her voice instantly made me dislike her; she sounded arrogant, as if she was superior to everyone around her.

"Who are you?"  It was hard for me to form sentences, my mind still groggy from whatever they had done to me.

"I am Dr. Spencer.  I am the lead researcher of the Haven Project; the project in which you are currently a participant."

"What's the Haven Project?" I asked.  I was still working on freeing myself, but I needed to stall for a little bit longer.

"The Haven Project used to just be a crazy thought.  Our goal from the beginning has been to better the protection of the United States from any and every threat.  We have watched each and every one of you since you were born, gathering information about the abilities you posses.  Whenever we feel that one of you is ready, we bring you here.  All we want is figure out how each of your minds work, and how we can use this information to keep us safe.  We do not want to hurt you, Bryson.  We simply want to explore the enormous jungle that is your mind."

"You say you don't want to hurt us, so why did you kill Samuel?"  I could feel my hands about to break free.  Just a little bit longer...

"Our goal is not to harm any of you.  Death is just an unfortunate byproduct of the final stage in the project.  We attempt to go into your mind and unlock the full potential of your powers, under our control of course.  Those that do not survive are weak; their brains are not capable of such an immense gift.  You, however, are different.  I can see it in your eyes; a shimmer of danger and darkness, of absolute control. You are different Bryson, I only hope you will cooperate."

Right as she finished talking, my hands slipped free of the restraints.  I jumped up and lunged at her.  I guess they never trained her for surprise attacks because she screamed and fell to the floor when I slammed into her.  I shot up and sprinted towards the nearest door.  I ran through and turned a corner.  Every hall, every door, they all looked the same here.  I kept running until I heard a soft cry up ahead.  It was coming from what looked like an operating room, except the door only led to a viewing area.  I stepped inside and made sure no one was anywhere in sight.  There were three rows of chairs on three levels, almost like a movie theater.  At the front of the room was a huge window that made up the entire wall.  It was a little dark so I could tell it was tinted.

Looking down at the room behind the glass, I saw a girl.  She looked to be about my age, maybe a little younger.  She had blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.  She was strapped down to a metal slab that I assume is supposed to be a table.  A man appeared from a door on the side of the room and walked towards the girl.  He was holding some sort of helmet, with a bunch of wires coming out the top.  The girls eyes grew wide with fear as he approached, and I could hear her whimpering.  He placed the helmet on her head and stepped over to a desk with a bunch of switches and screens.  He started to tinker with them, and the helmet began to glow with a radiating blue light.  The girl seemed to be in a sort of comatose state; her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving at all.  The man seemed to be happy with the results until the helmet suddenly started glowing red.  He frantically pushed a bunch of buttons and typed desperately on a keyboard, but the light just intensified.  Finally, without warning, the girl burst into flames and wildly threw herself against the bonds.  Her scream echoed down to the very heart of my soul, and she turned her head right towards me.  I don't know how she could see me, but her blue eyes were trained directly into mine.  She stopped screaming as a single tear rolled down her cheek, and her blue eyes began to glow red.  The next thing I knew, her body disintegrated into a pile of ash on the table.  I stared in disbelief; had that really just happened?  I turned to leave the room, unsure what I was going to do to escape, when a sharp stab to the neck with a very large needle sent me back to sleep.