The Unlocked (Charlie Hartley Series Book 1) (16 page)

“Orphans taken to GEN Laboratory for assessment.”

“Subjects are injected with the Unlocker for Transition.”

“Serum successful at awakening the dormant gene.”

“...subjects confirmed to gain superhuman capabilities.”

A heavy weight hung in Charlie’s chest as she read further
and further. With the video she’d just watched of her sister and these files,
Charlie had to face the fact that Joshua had spoken the truth. He wasn’t only
part of the project; he had a hand in creating its main ingredient, the
Unlocker serum.

Data about her schoolmates in ANDREI proved all of them had
been injected with this serum. Charlie lifted her arm, shining the light on her
skin, staring at the area where she could have been injected. There was no
mark. The surveillance video of Jeanne demonstrated her twin had powers enough
to make the entire room explode. So if my telekinesis manifested in me as a
child, is it possible Jeanne had hers in childhood as well?

Amanda’s words returned to Charlie. "I can see her in
you, the young Catherine who was my friend.  I have a feeling it was fate
that brought the two of you to the institute, the one Catherine helped build.”

Before, the idea that her biological mother was part of the
ANDREI project made Charlie feel special; now it twisted her inside.
Was I
injected as a baby? Were Jeanne and I no more than guinea pigs to our mother?
Charlie fought back tears that threatened to fall on the paper she held. She
returned the folder and pulled out the next one under the same section.

The thicker folder contained the profiles of all the
Awakened students. They were arranged in alphabetical order, making the first
file Aaron’s, followed by Bradley’s and Dorothy’s, and so on. Her curiosity and
frustration peaked upon realizing neither Jeanne’s nor hers were among the
rest.

She returned to the first profile, Aaron’s, and skimmed
through it. A photo of a young boy was stapled on the first page. He had a
youthful smile and hazel eyes. He was transferred to GEN laboratory from an
orphanage in Illinois at age sixteen. He passed the physical and mental
assessment and proceeded to Transitioning. He developed the ability of
Intangibility via the Unlocker and was transferred to ANDREI, where he failed
in his Mental Training in Stage One. After multiple sessions for Stage One, he
began to suffer from migraines and hearing impairment. December 14, 1996 -
November 11, 2012. Status: DECEASED.

Charlie stopped. The paper between her hands nearly slipped
from her grasp as she read the last word. “Deceased.” Aaron, the boy Hilary
claimed to have been promoted with Jeanne to the Advance Training, was dead
nearly a year ago and didn’t even pass the first stage of training! There was
no information on how Aaron died. Charlie hated to think the worst, but the
thought came anyway.
What about Jeanne?
She staggered back and leaned
against the wall, awful thoughts swirling in her mind. If what they told her
about Aaron was a lie, then what was the guarantee Jeanne was truly recruited
for the Advanced Training Center. Charlie wondered if the center was even real,
or just a cover up for deaths like Aaron’s.

Pulling herself away from the wall, she placed the student’s
profile inside the filing cabinet and closed the drawers. Her watched showed it
was 12:03 A.M. Charlie still had to investigate the second marked room.

Charlie carefully checked the hallway. It was empty. She
ascended the stairs as quietly as her feet allowed. She was fortunate not to
encounter any more guards on her way to the top floor. She diverted two more
cameras off her path before reaching the spot where the mystery room was
supposed to be. Charlie half-jogged through the hallway, passing non-descriptive
doors until she turned into another corner to see a pair of doors marked as
restrooms. A lone painting that seemed out of place hung on the laboratory
wall.

The oil painting of a smiling child welcomed Charlie. She
waxed nostalgic at the image. Charlie craned her neck, wondering why it was
placed in such an inconspicuous place.

Charlie returned her attention to the floor plan. No
security camera was in sight, giving Charlie the freedom to inspect the place.
According to the floor plan, a door to a small room was supposed to be where
the painting was. Charlie lifted a brow and stared at the oil painting.
A
secret room behind a painting?
Charlie moved forward and studied the edge
of the frame, checking for any alarm she could trigger if she moved it. So far,
there was no sign of such. She moved a few feet away from the painting and
stretched out her hand to it. Slowly, she moved the painting off from its hook
and carefully placed it on the ground. Charlie counted ten seconds, waiting in
case anything happened. When nothing did, she faced the wall and investigated.

Knocking on it, she searched for a hollow spot. She tried
repeatedly. She scrutinized every inch of the area and found no discrepancy
that would indicate a door. No gaps, no dents, no markings. Sighing heavily,
Charlie placed the penlight between her lips again and took the painting to
hook it back. Maybe this treasure hunt was someone's idea of a prank. Charlie
felt disappointed. Even after all that she had discovered, she felt like the
victim of a joke. Maybe those files about Jeanne were even planted. But who
would go through all that trouble?

When she placed the painting back in its original spot, the
penlight in her mouth accidentally slipped. Charlie watched the light roll away
from her until it bumped into the right corner of the wall. Intrigued, she took
the penlight back, walked over to the painting, and tried to roll it in another
direction. Instead, it diverted its direction and rolled back to the right
corner of the wall. Charlie picked up the light again and inspected the edge of
the wall.

Charlie tried to push the wall forward, then sideways. It
did not budge. She directed the light on the edge and noted the small gap
between the two walls, camouflaged as merely the corner between them. She
knocked on the walls, and one side was indeed hollow. Using telekinesis this
time, she attempted to pull the wall towards her. It moved slightly, but
nowhere enough to get in. She tried doing the same, but in the opposite
direction, but still nothing happened.

Frustrated, Charlie tried knocking on the wall from the top
going down. Her soft knocks all sounded the same until she was crouching on her
knees. There, it sounded as if something was directly against the wall. Charlie
tried to picture what it was in her mind and push it off, but it didn’t move.
She tried it again, pushing it downwards this time. It didn’t work. Finally,
Charlie imagined them as bars that needed to be lifted off the ground. One
clicked. Triumphant, Charlie pulled on the door, but it still didn’t open.
There’s
more?
Charlie thought.  She pictured the same thing happening in her
mind. Another clicked. And then another. Finally, the wall moved. Charlie
placed her fingers between the gap and pulled it further, allowing her to squeeze
inside the small room within.

The room was quaint. Two filing cabinets and a small empty
office table were the only furnishing. Charlie felt cramped inside, but the
delight of her discovery brushed that away. Charlie moved over to the filing
cabinets, checking the drawers one by one until she reached the second drawer,
where she discovered Jeanne’s and her missing files.

Dread and eagerness mixed as Charlie flipped the folder
open. There she saw a picture of Jeanne wearing a gray sweater over a black top.
Her eyes were piercing, her expression dangerous. People were right about
labeling her as a fighter; the photo alone suggested such. She flipped over to
the second page and read the information.

Jeanne, born August 11, 1995. Transferred from an orphanage
in Massachusetts. Passed the conditioning and evaluation phase from July-August
2012.

“That’s it?” Charlie whispered to herself. She moved over to
the next page and found a report different from what she saw with the other
student’s profile.

“Project Athena. Subject 1: Jeanne Weaver. Ability: Absorb
energies from different sources and redirect them. September 2012, Subject’s
Transitioning failed when the Subject demonstrated her superhuman ability
before the transmission of the Unlocker to her system.  Subject expressed
no recollection of the event. October 2012, Subject gave consent to Project
Athena. October 2012 to January 2013, Subject went through personal trainings.
Below is the chart of her progress.”

Charlie skimmed through the file, trying to make sense of
the words written about her sister and what this Project Athena meant. One
thing was clear: Jeanne wasn’t in an advance training center for the national
military. Near the end of the first page, one sentence caught Charlie’s attention.
“December 9, 2012. Subject caused a blackout during personal training in ANDREI
Training Room II.”

Her eyes widened.
Jeanne has been to the school?
She
flipped through the pages frantically, searching for any indication of Jeanne’s
true location. Charlie felt her own desperation, felt her anger ruling over her
mind.
Where is she?
At the bottom of the second to the last page of the
folder, Charlie found her answer. “April 23, 2013. Subject transferred to
Quarantine room at GEN Laboratory.”

Charlie’s knees gave in. Jeanne is inside this building.
Relief washed over her, knowing how close to her sister she really was, and yet
she felt betrayed for being told she was in an undisclosed location and
unreachable. Her thoughts brought her back to the first marked room on the
third floor. With the sentinels standing guard by a concealed window, Charlie
deduced that must be the room Jeanne was being held in.

Charlie pulled herself up and planned to return the file to
its place. She had enough information to plan her mission to save her sister.
But curiosity prevailed and Charlie pulled out her own file. On the first page,
she only found information she already knew. Turning over the next pages, she
read all her progress records. From her first stage of training, to her second,
even the incidences she’d been involved in since setting foot in the institute
were all documented. It made her feel Big Brother was watching her every move.

Stomach revolting at the idea, Charlie moved over to the
rest of the pages. There, she saw something new. “Immune to control.” Her face
scrunched.
What does that mean?

Below the statement, Charlie read more information about her
telekinesis than she had come across. The manipulation of objects without
physical contact was something she already knew. But the report suggested her
powers has potential to generate force fields, molecular manipulation, shock
waves, and even psychic shielding.

Joshua suggested to Charlie that Amanda Pitt was capable of
controlling the minds of the students of this school, but that she, Charlie,
was somehow immune.
Is this the reason why?
Charlie wondered.

The sound of footsteps broke Charlie’s thoughts. It sounded
like the same set as earlier. Charlie quickly replaced the file back in the
drawer and moved to the door. Determining the coast was clear, she peeked,
walked out, and pushed it forward until she heard the locks click back.
Quietly, she proceeded to the restroom and hid herself behind the door but left
it ajar to watch the scene.

Amanda Pitt was too busy studying the iPad in her arms as
she walked towards the painting of the smiling child. As if by habit, she
turned towards the corner and kneeled in front of the wall. From Charlie’s
perspective, she couldn’t tell what the woman was doing. But as expected, the wall
revealed the secret door which Amanda pushed and entered the hidden room
Charlie had just left.

Charlie returned to her room undetected, her mind filled
with information.

Upon getting in her bed, Charlie closed her eyes to rest but
sleep eluded her even until sunrise. Sunlight flooded the room between the gaps
of the drapes of their floor to ceiling windows. She’d tossed and turned in
bed, but the newly acquired information plagued her mind. The Unlocker serum
was used to activate supernatural abilities of all the students. ANDREI was not
the only project Amanda was handling. Charlie had yet to understand what
Project Athena was and how Jeanne fit in it.

Joshua came to the forefront in Charlie’s head. ANDREI
wasn’t as noble as Charlie believed it was. ANDREI took her sister and kept her
for themselves, and Charlie wouldn’t be surprised if she was next. Charlie
needed to infiltrate the other hidden room where she was certain to find Jeanne
before someone decided to relocate her. But first, Charlie would have to behave
normally and not arouse any suspicion.

Matching the school’s entire mood, Charlie carried on with
her life in ANDREI as normal as a telekinetic girl could. She was up and out of
her room by seven after barely three hours of sleep. Thankful for the steaming
hot coffee at the cafeteria, Charlie sipped her caffeine fix and waited for its
effects to kick in. Charlie selected a table in the far corner of the
cafeteria, away from the boisterous crowd.

Both the cereal and apple tasted bland in her mouth. With
all the thoughts swirling in her head, her brain didn’t have the time to
register the signals from her taste buds. Charlie became the observer of the
entire student populace, noting all the differences between today and her
previous weeks in ANDREI. Everyone kept to themselves today; even Bradley and
Madison didn’t demand the attention of the others anymore. Like mindless
drones, the teenagers choose their breakfast staples, took them to their usual
tables, consumed them and went about their day.

She spotted Hilary’s black curly hair bobbing around,
apparently in search of Charlie. She intentionally moved away from her usual
table with her friend, confusing the girl. A stab of guilt hit Charlie. She
didn’t like leaving Hilary in the dark, but neither did Charlie want the
institute to use Hilary to discover what she knew. She grabbed her half-eaten
meal and headed out of the cafeteria.

“Whoa, what’s the rush?” Otto stepped in front of Charlie.
“Training starts in an hour. You don’t have to rush your meal, Charlie.” He
flashed the smile that easily melted her defense.

But Charlie kept her walls up today. “I lost my appetite. I
wanted to take a walk around the garden for a bit.”

“I’ll go with you.” Otto was quick to offer. He presented
his arm for her to hold, and Charlie saw the same Otto she had grown fond of in
the past few weeks. Boyish, but a gentleman. A walk with him was something she
needed to clear her thoughts, but knowing he was under the control of Amanda’s
hive mind, she feigned disinterest.

“No, Otto. I want to be alone.” The look on his face was a
mix of hurt and concern.

“You sure you’re okay, Charlie? I can take you to the
infirmary if you need--”

“No, Otto.” She repeated, a little more spiteful than she’d
intended. Otto reeled back from her, his brows pulled together and his lips
forming a frown. Charlie sighed heavily, the words tasting like knives as they
rolled out of her tongue. “If I need to go there, I can find my own way without
having you hold my hand. So, for once, can you mind your own business?” She
couldn’t bear to see the pain in Otto’s eyes. Charlie turned on her heel and
stormed out of the cafeteria, swallowing the lump in her throat.

Focusing on the real problem at hand, Charlie sought for
escape in the quiet garden. The peaceful and empty scene allowed Charlie to let
go of all the frustrations running in her mind. She took a seat at a bench
concealed behind some bushes and buried her face in her hands. Charlie thought
of all the things she learned from her mission last night.

Staying in ANDREI was no longer an option, yet she couldn’t
ask for help in getting out. No cellphones, monitored internet access, minimal
to no resources to contact the outside world. The protective concrete
structures around the school were now literally prison walls.

Leaning against the bench’s back rest, her eyes were
directed to the leaves dancing by her feet. The wind made a miniature tornado
in front of her. Charlie lifted her hand and tried to counter the wind’s flow
and redirect the leaves to swirl counter clockwise. It took little effort to
orchestrate them to perform a dance in a circle and then around and over her
head. She misses the times when she used her powers just for entertainment. Now
she had a weapon, one the government had its eyes on.

Or could it be just Amanda Pitt’s? If it were, then it can
be my weapon as well.

The records she read on Project Athena suggested her powers
could evolve in ways she never thought of. She couldn’t fathom how to
manipulate the molecular structure of objects, but a force field and a psychic
shield were abilities she could hone. Charlie had little doubt left about
Joshua’s claim regarding Amanda being able to control the students. The
question was whether or not Charlie really had such a shield that prevented her
from falling prey to mind control. Charlie released her control on the leaves,
letting them rain on her. It wouldn’t hurt to practice this supposed ability
she had. Charlie vacated the bench and proceeded to her assigned training room
for the day with more purpose than she had before.

She arrived sooner than the rest. The room was empty except
for the guards who eyed her suspiciously as she walked in. Charlie stood at the
center of the room, remembering her first day of training with Natalia on sound
waves and brain scanners. In very rare cases, Natalia noted her readings showed
Charlie successfully blocked out the effects of those sound waves. If she were
to believe she had a psychic shield, that news would make sense.

To the left wall was the posting board where the cards
bearing the Unlocked students’ names were already set in pairs. Charlie had
spent the past week checking it to know who she was assigned to battle with
each day. Charlie stared at the board with head held high. Checking over her
shoulder for the guards, she took a step back enough for them to see her.
Charlie didn’t need to go near the board to manipulate the cards. Four minutes
later, Charlie’s name stood beside Jian’s, the school’s illusionist. The rest
of the students marched in, with Instructor Ross following close behind.
Eyebrows raised at her early arrival, but no one asked any questions. Charlie
joined the others. For the past few days, Instructor Ross had been teaching
them basic combat skills and asking them to spar amongst each other. The first
two hours were spent with physical exercises: stretching, push-ups, crunches
and jogging. Charlie thanked the school for pushing her to her limits. Her
muscles were refined, her stamina improved. Where the exercises caused her
great pain during her first week, they now fueled her with adrenaline.

The sparring sessions began after a short break. Charlie and
her chosen partner were the fourth pair, giving Charlie enough time to think
how to access her psychic shield against Jian’s illusion. She tried to picture
herself in front of the psychologist, Natalia, once more. What was she thinking
that caused her to block out the effects of the sound waves? Was it fear?
Charlie didn’t have a solid answer when Instructor Ross called her and Jian’s
names.

Jian had kind eyes. He remained friendly towards her, even
after all her achievements triggered envy among a number of students. Charlie
felt a pang of guilt for using him in her experiment. “Begin!” Instructor Ross
ordered them. Charlie watched Jian change into a defensive position; she didn’t
move a muscle at all. She just studied him, his expression and his movement.
The kindness in his eyes became blank orbs staring at her, sending cold shivers
down her spine. Suddenly, Charlie felt her balance shifting. Her eyes lowered
to see the floor turning soft, almost like standing on a waterbed. Her arms
were spread to her sides in an attempt to steady herself when a force threw her
off her feet, sending her skidding on the floor. Charlie struggled back to her
feet, punching at open air in hopes of hitting her assailant. But the scene
changed before her eyes.

Her eyes blinked multiple times before she fully absorbed
the change in her scenery. The steel floors of the training room turned into a
meadow that stretched farther than her eyes could see. The sun beat down on
her. Eyes squinting, she shielded them with her arm. From afar, Charlie saw
something flying towards her. Looming larger as it sped closer, Charlie shut
her eyes. It’s not real. She commanded herself to break away from the
illusions. She pictured the room in her mind as she remembered it. Instructor
Ross was nearby, barking orders she could not hear. The other students observed
from the mezzanine. Guards stood by the door. But where was Jian?

She opened her eyes slowly. The flying creature zoomed
towards her. Dark and sinister, it was akin to an awakening monster’s shadow.
Charlie braced herself, imagining the creature as the boy she was fighting.
Then the fog cleared, and she saw Jian charging at her instead. With a wave of
her hand, she flung him to the side and the training room materialized before
her.

“Ouch,” Jian’s voice came from Charlie’s left. He struggled
into a sitting position, holding his back. “You got me there.”

“You weren’t a very convincing monster.” Charlie held out
her hand for him and pulled him up. But as soon as Jian got to his feet, he
staggered back so that Charlie had to steady him.

“You okay?” she asked with genuine concern. Jian’s face frowned
as he looked at his leg, “I think I pulled a muscle or something.”

“Take him to the infirmary.” Instructor Ross’s deep voice
ordered her. Charlie looked around to see the instructor standing near the door
with arms over his chest.

“Yes, sir,” she replied. Charlie raised Jian’s arm around
her neck and held him as they made it out of the training room.

Charlie thoughts went back to her first sparring round where
Bradley injured her. Now the tables were turned; it was she who hurt someone.
Their footsteps echoed as they made their way to the infirmary, the tall and
thin physique of Jian awkwardly leaning on Charlie’s smaller body. The idea of
Bradley escorting her to the infirmary was not a palatable one. Charlie shook
her head and returned her attention to Jian. “Hey, how’s your--?”

She stopped, realizing her injured schoolmate wasn’t in her
arms anymore. “Jian?” Charlie called out, but there was no answer but her own
voice bouncing back towards her. “Jian?” She called again. Charlie retraced her
steps and looked around for any sign he’d decided to play a prank on her to get
even.

As she marched down the hallway, her feet started slipping.
The floor began to slope down and Charlie couldn’t stop gravity from pulling
her down. She screamed as she lost her footing and hit her head on the hard
cold floor. Charlie turned, trying to grab at anything to stop her fall. But
something that tightened around her ankles, began scratching, gripping and
pulling her further into the dark abyss beneath. Charlie gritted her teeth,
digging her nails into the floor, but nothing caught. She kicked her feet,
trying to get rid of the strange force dragging her. A gurgling laugh emanated
from the shadows that resonated throughout her bones and teeth. She screamed,
kicked and grabbed with all her might. And then her fall stopped abruptly.
Charlie found herself lying on the even floor.

Her head whipped around for any sign of life. The hallway
was still as empty as before. A soft snickering drew her attention to a closed
door on her right. Charlie stood and reached out to the knob. “Very funny,” she
announced sarcastically as she threw open the door only to be greeted by a
familiar face.

“Princess?” The peaceful face of her adoptive mother greeted
her. Sarah Hartley smiled like she always did when she welcomed Charlie from
school. Her mother sat on the edge of Charlie’s bed. They were in her dormitory
room which she shared with the elusive Brianna who, like always, wasn’t around.
Charlie felt her heart lighten. She walked towards her mother and wrapped her
arms around her. Sarah held her in a tight embrace. She smelled like chamomile
and home.

“Mom, what are you doing here?” Charlie asked her when they
released each other. She sat beside her mother while Sarah brushed Charlie’s
hair from her forehead.

“Ms. Pitt told us about you having problems at school. She
suggested we come over to cheer you up,” explained Sarah, gazing at her
daughter like she were a star. “Your father wanted to come along, but you know
how expensive a train ticket is. Ms. Pitt offered to take care of our fare, but
we really couldn’t let her do that after what she has done for our Charlie.”

Charlie smiled. “Mom…” She wanted to tell Sarah about her
life in this school, about all the lies she uncovered, about Amanda Pitt and
Jeanne. But something at the back of her mind told her this wasn’t the time nor
the place to do that.

“Where’s Jeanne? How is she? What’s she like?” Sarah asked
Charlie, eagerness present in her eyes.

“She’s-” Charlie stopped. She had nothing to say about
Jeanne yet except all the lies she’d been fed.

Charlie looked away from her mother, searching for her
answer in the few items in her bedroom. Then, a strange feeling caused her
breath to catch. Something was different.

“Charlie?” Sarah reached out to her hand. “Honey, I want you
to know how happy your dad and I are knowing you are developing your powers the
right way. Happier too that you are reunited with your twin sister.” She beamed
at Charlie like she did during her graduation ceremony. Charlie tried smiling
back, but she couldn’t shake away the feelings of foreboding.

Her room looked like how she always left it. The bed had
been neatly made before she went for breakfast. Her jacket hung on the foot of
her bed with her backpack hidden underneath it. Charlie craned her neck and
reached for the backpack. “What is it, princess?” Sarah asked her. Charlie
ignored her to open the zipper and inspect the items inside. “Charlie?” Sarah
asked once again, but her eyes were glued to her backpack.

“I took my laptop out of my bag last night,” Charlie
muttered under her breath. “I took it out with this notebook.” She reached for
the notebook and no sign of the messy notes she’d copied from the files were
present. Inside the bag, there was no sign of the DVD or the floor plan,
either.

Charlie stood from the bed, looking at the image of her
adoptive mother with doubt. “What’s going on?” she asked Sarah.