Absorption Distortion

Chapter 1

Present Day.

The dark sky held the full moon high as the soft glow beamed over the Earth below. Twenty One men sat around a boardroom in the facility which wasn't widely known for it's true purpose, keeping dangerous humans at bay... or at least, those who they deemed too dangerous to be walking among the free world. The room was lit up dimly and provided a hidden setting, casting many shadows on the faces of those opposite each other which suited the early morning somber atmosphere. Some of the men were quietly talking among themselves, military personnel and men in white lab coats sat beside each other, not really sure of the purpose of being there but following orders as always. Four of the men were not military, doctors or scientists, but rather in dark, form fitting suits and keeping to themselves. They were gathered at the end of the table beside each other, waiting patiently for the meeting to begin. Their demeanour seemed more relaxed than those men brought into the boardroom who were trying to discuss why they were called off their posts to to have this private conversation.

A door closed, and it was the click of the handle that stopped all the whispers in the room. Footsteps approached from the darkness and under a recessed light stood a tall man. Sergeant Major Ryder dressed in a military camo basic uniform with the combat boots, stood up at the other end of the table. He quickly checked his watch, waiting a moment as then lifted his head, "Good Morning Gentlemen," everyone stiffened and shifted to face him, listening in as he continued, "You're probably wondering why you are here?" He picked up a remote and stepped back from the table, aiming it upwards. Pressing button, an image flashed on the screen, "There is an urgent matter that I wish to discuss and we felt it was necessary to get the input of those from the various fields to ensure we pursue this matter delicately. Unfortunately, we have recently received a security breach that potentially can threaten our existence. The capture and return of this escapee is of the highest nature to ensure the control of the abilities she possesses." as he paused, an image of a young female appeared on the screen. It was a high school yearbook photo, showing a long haired brunette, with large brown eyes half-smiling in looking a little timid. She had a gold necklace with a crucifix on, but besides that, nothing was unusual. "This girl?" One of the military men quipped, gesturing sarcastically towards the image. He looked around the room to gain some agreement from the others but no one else responded to him. Ryder continued without paying attention to him, "Yes." he paused, waiting for the man to stop pulling his face, "She may look like an innocent, young female. And you'd be right, this photo is 5 years old and the last image we have on file. No family photos, no other facility photos. Seems the image we had of her on file is missing. She has been missing for 48 hours from the secure facility isolation chambers located within Fernbrooke Forest," Some of the men gasped and spoke among themselves. "Gentleman, I would be happy to give you a grand tour later if you'd like," One of the suited men quipped, gesturing with a fluttering hand like a waiter. He was making fun of those seemingly shocked by the discovery of a hidden facility. Ryder changed the image to a map, showing the Fernbrooke Forest and the surrounding areas. Although the Forest covered majority of the map, a few small mining towns could be seen near by, as identified on the map. "We have reason to believe our target is somewhere within these areas," he pointed at the image using the remotes laser pointer, "She has escaped our holding facility on foot-" He was cut short by one of the scientists, an older man with white hair and a small beard to match, named Dr. Michael's, "Holding facility?" his English accent filling the room. He was a bit slow to catch on but he stopped the room from talking, drawing the attention of everyone around the desk, "What exactly occurs at this facility?" he continued, taken back by the thought of the military withholding a young female. Sergeant Major Ryder looked at the end of the table, one of the men in the suits whose fingers entwined held his arms across his chest nodded to Ryder and he took a deep breath, "Over the past forty years, we have discovered a new kind of species of human-like beings," he continued, "They look like humans, breathe, smell, eat, hear, think like humans, but they are more than humans.." he paused, taking a moment to look around the room at the gentleman with puzzled faces, almost to reassure them that he was being serious through his furrowed brows and strong tone, "We have identified thousands of human beings in this country alone with special abilities," One of the scientists, Dr. Adams, not amused having to be taken into a helicopter since yesterday and flown in early hours of the morning let out a huff, "What like vampires...?" he mumbled with a chuckle, loud enough for everyone to hear  and set a few of the other guys off with a laugh. "Ohh get the garlic" Ryder rolled his eyes, "Dr. Adams, what we are dealing with is more than just a blood sucker," he rebutted, "These people can move things with their minds, they can-" "So because they can push a pencil across the table.." Dr. Adams interrupted, mocking the idea that humans can have any sort of super ability, let alone making this a national security issue. He was a scientist, he needed to see the cold hard facts before believing anything. He sparked up discussions between people, joining in with Dr. Adams disbelief. Ryder was trying to reframe from losing his temper, he clenched his fist and slammed it on the table frustrated at Dr. Adams lack of seriousness about the situation. As he did so, the table left an impact mark, sending small cracks in the marble and everyone went silent. He had broken the marble surface and created an indent where he punched the desk with small marble pieces hitting the floor.