Chapter Five
Jenny Adams nibbled her
thumbnail to the quick as she checked the readout on the EEG machine, shaking
her head. A week had passed, and still no change.
It didn't
make sense. When they'd brought Travis into ER, he had several lacerations,
many broken or bruised ribs, and a fractured skull. Yet, most of his wounds had
healed in a matter of hours, save two broken ribs. While she had seen some
strange cases in her time at St Michael's, none were as Outer
Limits worthy.
So far, she
and the others who'd treated Travis since he was a child had managed to keep
things quiet by fudging his records, so it appeared he was still seriously
injured. But the rest of the staff were starting to get suspicious. Moreover,
two men in suits had just entered the room, and something told her they would
be trouble.
"Miss Adams,
I'm Agent Smith," he said, all scowls and glares, flashing his badge. It didn't
say what agency he was with. "And this is my partner, Agent Anderson. We would
like to have a word with you about Travis Turner."
Agent
Anderson stepped forward, wearing an Aquaman tie and
Green Lantern cufflinks. "We've come across some interesting information about
him, and it would be in the boy's and your best interest to come with us."
Jenny
squared her shoulders and placed her hands on her hips, resolute in protecting
her sweet boy. "I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about. Who did
you say were with again?"
"We didn't.
Suffice to say, we are with a branch of the government that deals with these
situations," deadpanned Agent Smith.
She glanced
at the still form of Travis, his chest rising and falling in sync with the
beeping of the heart monitor.
"I
don't care if you're the president of the United States. We aren't going
anywhere with you. Now kindly leave before you disturb him."
Agent
Anderson smiled, showing off a set of blinding-white teeth. "I apologize for my
partner's rude behavior. We're trying to help the boy." His cheeks reddened.
"Ma'am, could we grab a cup of coffee and maybe talk a bit?"
She glanced
at Travis, nibbling her nail. "I don't know."
"Please," he
said in a whiny voice. "Promise it'll be quick." He flashed that dazzling smile
of his again, and her heart melted a bit.
Jenny
thought it over a moment.
What
could it hurt? Besides, he's kinda cute.
"Um,
okay. Just let me check in with the nurses' station, and we can go." She looked
again at Travis and couldn't help wondering what he'd gotten himself
into.
***
Jenny locked
eyes with Agent Anderson, the silence stretching out before them as she glared
with unblinking eyes, willing him to be the first to cave. But finally, Jenny's
pale blues eyes teared up, and she unloaded on him.
"I won't let
you take him to Area 51. You have no idea the world of pain he's suffered, and
I'll be damned if you put him through more!"
"Melodramatic,
aren't we, ma'am? The boy is all of what, thirteen? What's so gosh-darn special
about him, anyway? And for the record, Area 51 doesn't exist."
Smack. Jenny's hand connected with Agent Anderson's face. She
balled up her fist, prepared to strike again, but regained control of herself.
Once composed, she recounted how she met the Turners.
***
Fresh out of
medical school, working in an army hospital over in Bayreuth, Germany at the
time, she'd been on duty when they'd rushed in Travis. He was whisper-thin,
covered in third and fourth-degree burns.
Though she'd
read about burn victims, none of her classes prepared her for what lay ahead.
She still had nightmares about Travis screaming when she changed his dressings.
His parents,
while present, seemed to care more about how his prolonged stay would
inconvenience them.
***
Agent
Anderson, coffee in hand, leaned in. "What happened to him?"
"Oh, you
give a damn now? He was in a fire, and the trauma
caused him to go into shock, and he flat-lined. After
about an hour, we brought him back, and he spent the next eighteen months in
the ICU. The fire was so intense it melted the skin from his bones."
Agent
Anderson stared at her, slack-jawed. "Wow."
"At first,
he was a good little soldier. Didn't complain about all the skin grafts and
reconstructive surgeries on his face. But kids can be such monsters. Though he
didn't let on how their teasing affected him, I watched as the light in his
eyes died, replaced by hate. Maybe had I stepped up to the plate, he'd be a lot
better off. I don't know. But, I'll tell you this
much." A wild glint came into her eyes. "You'll have to pry my cold dead
fingers from him!"
"Whoa, back
Simba, back." He laughed, a nervous tone to his voice. "I have no intentions of
handing Travis over to my bosses. If even half of what you've said is true,
then we're beyond boned here."
"Why the
change of heart? Did my feminine wiles beguile you?" she said, sarcasm dripping
from her words as she batted her eyelashes.
"Ha, no.
Even if you are quite the hottie. But let's just say it's better to keep on his
good side because . . . I shouldn't be telling you this, but he's basically an
omega class mutant."
"What?"
"Oh, sorry,
huge X-Men fan here. The omegas are uber-powerful mutants that can basically
end the universe. We don't know what Travis is capable of now. But, based on
what he could do as a five-year-old, we do not want to piss him off."
Standing,
Jenny shoved him into a wall, his coffee cup splattering to the ground. "What
are you talking about? I've known him all his life."
"Jesus,
you're stronger than you look. I really shouldn't be telling
you this, but there was an incident when Travis was around two. He developed
pyrokinetic abilities, and the government experimented on him until he escaped
at age five. The details are fuzzy, but afterward, children around the world
developed superhuman abilities which set off an arms race, so to speak."
"I don't
believe you."
"Whatever,"
he said, shrugging off her hand and straightening his collar, "but Travis is a
bomb waiting to go off. And I'd rather be his friend than his enemy. Here's
what happens now."
He told her
to get Travis and make a run for it while he distracted Agent Smith. She was to
take Travis north to a small town called Otter Lake, where his friend, Dr. Richard
Hu, lived. "Make a right at the gas station, and you'll come to a cabin. Stay
there, and when the coast is clear, I'll join you. Tell Doc that Tommy sent you
about Project Hellfire. He'll know what it means. Go."
"Why should
I trust you?"
"I've been straight
with you from the get-go, haven't I? We were sent here to bring in Travis but .
. ."
"But what?"
His face
reddened. Then alarms sounded, and a message came over the speakers saying they
were locking down the hospital. "Never mind. Change of plans. Get your car
ready, and I'll get Travis."
She thought
a moment. I don't know if I should trust him. Maybe if I pretend to
like him, he won't betray us. It's worth a shot. Besides, he's a snack and a
half.
Then
she said, "Fine. You know I could definitely see
myself falling for you if things were different, hun."
"Well,
aren't I the lucky one?"
"Yes, you
are." Jenny leaned in to kiss him, then pulled back smiling. "Later," she said
and left to get her Explorer, saying a silent prayer as she went.
Author's
Note: And the plot thickens (insert villain laugh here). Next chapter we go
back to JJ, then move back to Travis.
Questions, comments,
constructive criticisms? Hit me up at phenix39@yahoo.com
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