“It was nice to meet you too.” Kennedy responded nervously.
“Well we better get going, there is a lot more to show you,” Jordan said walking to some of the smaller rooms that outlined the back of the larger room.
“Do any of the rooms compare to this one?” Kennedy asked following Jordan out the door.
“No, I am afraid that this is our grandest room.”
Over the next half hour Jordan showed Kennedy some office quarters and other conference rooms, but noticed Kennedy lagging and her uninterested attitude. Ten more minutes passed when Jordan decided to stop and make sure she was alright.
∆∆∆
Kennedy had been so deep in thought that she was startled when Jordan stopped her suddenly. Ever since she had left that room Kennedy reflected on what she had given these people. Instead of withholding the information about herself and being discreet, she had revealed this ability. It has been accidental. Could she really decode messages no one else could read? How could that even be possible? There were so many questions, and Kennedy realized that Jordan and James probably also had these questions. They were going to try and figure them out, and soon. Also, Kennedy started to feel unusually tired. She hadn’t paid any attention to Jordan for the last half hour.
“Kennedy, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Leaning against a wall Kennedy shook her head back and forth, as if trying to get back to reality she finally said, “It's okay.”
“What's wrong?”
Kennedy turned to look at Jordan, “I think I am tired; will you take me back to my apartment?”
Jordan stared at her a second longer, as if he debated questioning her further. “Of course.”
Kennedy walked slowly behind Jordan until they found a golf cart and he slowly drove it back to her apartment.
When Kennedy walked in and sat on her couch, she stared into the blank TV screen.
“Kennedy, what is wrong?” Jordan said stepping in.
Kennedy didn’t say anything for a little while, and Jordan didn’t push her. Her exhaustion grew steadily as she continued to sit and think. Kennedy’s uncertainty continued to grow. This place, with Jordan, everything. Even though today had gone well, she still couldn’t shake that feeling, the feeling of unease. How was she going to get out of here?
“I'm only tired, you still aren’t allowed in. I’m going to take a nap,” Kennedy said through a yawn.
“Right,” Jordan said, stepping outside the door. “I'll let you take a nap. My number is speed dial number one. If you need anything let me know and I'll be here as soon as I can.”
“Okay,” Kennedy said, laying down on the couch and closing her eyes.
Jordan quietly closed the door and left.
∆∆∆
While Kennedy took her nap, Jordan was tempted to go back inside the apartment, despite his promise to stay out. Instead, he decided to go and talk to Brandon. He stopped by the cafeteria to get some lunch and then proceeded to head over to Brandon's office.
“Come in,” Brandon said after Jordan knocked.
“Hello sir.”
“Jordan sit down, what news do you have for me?”
Jordan retold Brandon everything that happened earlier in the control room.
After Jordan finished, Brandon leaned back in his chair and put his hands together while he took everything in.
“Are you sure?” Brandon asked.
“Well, Mr. Bernard and I both tested her separately. What do you think the chances of her getting it right twice are?”
“Yes, but we must be absolute before we declare anything. I will set up additional testing to begin tomorrow. Do you know what would happen if this got out? You shouldn't have even asked Mr. Bernard, now he knows. Did you tell anyone else?”
Shocked at Brandon's sudden change in attitude, Jordan replied, “Of course not.”
“Not even Ryan? I know you two are close.”
“No one,” Jordan stood his ground.
“Good, I’ll put Ryan on the medical team, see if he is interested. We may need to bring in a new team lead, you would understand right?”
“You assigned me this case,” Jordan defended.
“Yes, well I didn't realize the potential. Maybe someone more experienced would be better.”
“What? I’m plenty experienced. Did you forget about the other mission I’m currently working on?” Jordan said outraged. He felt like he couldn't sit down anymore. He could feel anger raising inside of him. Who was Brandon after all? Of course, he could do this job!
“I can do it,” Jordan announced.
“What about the other day?” Brandon asked, raising an eyebrow.
“That was a mistake,” Jordan said, changing his tone from anger to pleading.
“It better not happens again, or you are off, no matter what she prefers. You got that?”
“Yes sir,” Jordan said relaxedly.
“Where is she now?”
“Taking a nap.”
“I believe you have some paperwork to catch up on.”
“Of course,” Jordan said standing up to leave.
“Jordan don't mess this up.”
“Yes, sir,” Jordan said before walking out the door and closing it behind him.
Talking with Brandon seemed to bring all kinds of emotions. At first, he was angry at the accusations of telling the whole company, but now he felt a sense of hunger. Hunger to prove Brandon wrong, that he could do this.
The rest of the day Jordan spent waiting for Kennedy's call, and working on paperwork. Work ended up taking several hours. He had fallen behind. Several details from a few days earlier were already foggy. He should have been working on these earlier. All he wanted to do was spend time with Kennedy.
Finishing up around 9 p.m., Jordan was shocked not to hear anything from Kennedy. Logging into his security access he checked the apartment door log. The door hadn’t opened.
Jordan dismissed his worry; she probably needed a night off. Making his way to the cafeteria, Jordan’s thoughts focused on the next day. He needed to persuade her to try this ability on different sources. What would he do if she refused? She had seemed willing enough earlier. Other alternatives pushed their way into his mind, but he closed that door. He hoped it wouldn't come to that.
∆∆∆
Chapter 6
F 00110
Kennedy woke up feeling completely refreshed. That was a good nap. She stretched and walked into the kitchen to grab a snack. As she passed the oven, she did a double take. The clock said 5:00. Had she really slept three hours? She then went to look at the clock in the bedroom. That one read 5:00 a.m.. What? With no outside access, it was impossible to know the time of day based on sunlight. She had another idea. Back in the living room she turned on the TV and found the news. The clock on the bottom read 5:01 a.m.. Sitting on the couch, she tried to process what had happened. When Jordan left her for her nap it had been about 2 p.m.. That was fifteen hours. She had been tired, but not that tired. Did Jordan drug her? When? She didn’t even have lunch.
Maybe Ryan would have an answer. She decided to take a shower. The hot water on her back felt good. It felt like she was washing away the previous day.
While in the shower, she reflected on some issues that were bothering her: Jordan. She didn’t know what to make of him yet. He hadn’t made any moves on her the previous day. Maybe he had picked up her not so subtle cues? Regardless, he had not exposed his moral motives for this company. For all she knew, this was the enemy. Anything help she rendered could be helping an arms dealer or drug lord. Jordan claimed they wanted to better the world, but if that was the case, why were they hiding. All of the logic and experiences he had here couldn’t deter her gut feeling, something wasn’t right.
So many things had happened, and so quickly. Kennedy hadn't taken the time to process it all. Jordan was always with her. The idea of being alone felt wonderful, yet she missed the people from her life. Her poor mom, they talked almost every
other day. Kennedy missed her dearly. They told each other everything. Would she ever be able to tell her mom about all of this? Would she be able to tell anyone?
Then she thought about Cole. How could she have not even considered her boyfriend? What was he doing at the moment? At work, Kennedy suddenly realized smiling to herself. That is, if they were in the same time zone. She wondered if he got lonely on his drive to campus in the morning, or if he missed her at all? These people said they had broken up with Cole on her behalf, but she hadn't digested it yet. Part of her didn't even care, and part of her missed him. She had felt like breaking up with him before but couldn’t ever pull the trigger. The relationship had been going nowhere. Tears welled up. The emotions Kennedy had pushed down from this adventure consumed her. Adventure, she thought. Was this an adventure? Or was this a nightmare. Her tears fell down the drain along with the shower water. She allowed herself this moment, this moment of vulnerability. Just like that moment she had broken down with Ryan.
After half an hour, Kennedy stepped out of the shower, clean, and emotionally refreshed. It was now time for her to be strong again. Form a plan, get out.
Opening the computer on her desk, almost everything was blocked. She should have guessed as much.
Closing the computer, she decided to check the cafeteria for Jordan. She was determined to get some answers. Since she had only been to the cafeteria once, Kennedy made a couple wrong turns before finding the familiar room. Jordan wasn’t there, but Ryan was sitting at one of the tables. For Kennedy, it was too early to eat, so she went and sat next to Ryan.
“Kennedy, what a surprise,” Ryan said as he rose from his seat to greet her.
“A surprise indeed.”
“How are you feeling? You missed your evening check in,” he asked, pushing the rest of his breakfast away.
“I went to take a nap, and then slept fifteen hours.”
“Fifteen hours? What did you do yesterday?” Ryan asked slightly concerned, “Did you run a marathon and go white water rafting?”
“Actually, I didn’t do much at all. I ate breakfast and wandered around the building.”
“Wandered around?” Ryan questioned.
“It was a game Jordan created to bring a sense of transparency.”
“I see,” Ryan said, still confused. “Did it help, with...transparency?”
“No, maybe I just needed a mental break.”
“Jordan didn't mention any of this to me, is he concerned?”
“No,” Kennedy said, now getting worried herself from all of his questions.
“Where is Jordan?”
“I don’t know I thought he would be here.”
“That isn’t usual for him to leave you. Come on let's go find him,” Ryan said standing up.
“Are you worried?” Kennedy asked innocently.
“Just a little, sleeping for extended periods of time is unusual. You are almost two weeks out.”
Kennedy didn’t respond. She simply followed Ryan through the halls until he stopped in front of a door that she assumed was Jordan’s.
“Jordan?” Ryan called as he knocked on the door several times.
Kennedy could hear some rustling behind the door, and so did Ryan since he didn’t knock again.
After about a minute, Jordan opened the door. Kennedy turned away, Jordan only had a t-shirt and boxers on. Jordan’s face turned instantly bright red as he realized Kennedy had been standing with Ryan.
“Thanks for the heads up,” Jordan said, closing the door for another thirty seconds.
Ryan simply laughed as he waited for Jordan to put on some pants.
After opening the door for a second time, Jordan announced to Kennedy, “All clear!”
Kennedy turned around to face Jordan, but it was very hard for her not to giggle a little which made her face turn red this time.
Ryan, who had already let the moment pass, asked, “How come you were not at your post with Kennedy?”
Jordan thought about what to say for a while, it didn’t look good.
“Well, yesterday Kennedy went to bed rather early, so I figured she would get up sometime in the night. So, I stayed up waiting until I figured she would get up in the morning. I am sorry; I should be more on top of things.”
“Yes, you should, she is your priority”
Jordan stared at Ryan waiting for judgment.
Kennedy felt like she had to pop in, “It wasn’t his fault, it was mine. Who knew I would sleep so long?”
Jordan smiled at Kennedy, “Thank you, but Ryan is right, you are my responsibility, and I can’t have you simply running around the complex getting lost. On a good note Ryan, we did discover something quite amazing yesterday and today we are going to start the testing.”
“Brandon informed me yesterday. When do we start?”
Jordan turned to Kennedy, “Whenever she is comfortable.”
Kennedy was not comfortable at all. She understood that his question was out of courtesy, not really asking if she was willing or not. But she trusted that Jordan and Ryan wouldn’t let anything happen to her. She would have to stall, but her mind came up blank. “Well I am pretty hungry, but after that, I guess we could start.”
“Okay, I will assemble the team while you and Jordan grab something to eat.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Jordan agreed.
Ryan walked off towards the medical hall while Jordan escorted Kennedy to breakfast.
“I really don’t feel comfortable doing this,” Kennedy admitted.
“Doing what?”
“Pretending that everything is normal and going well.”
“I don’t understand,” Jordan asked, stopping in the hall to face Kennedy.
“You pretend like this is my life. That whatever you tell me is the truth and that I am to follow you like a lost puppy. You gave me a tour, but I have so many more questions and concerns about the parts of the buildings I haven’t seen. Everyone seems very nice, but my instinct is not to trust you. Why didn’t you just ask me to go with you instead of kidnapping me?”
Jordan put his hands up in front of him, “You do have a lot of concerns. Maybe we should ask Ryan to give you something to help you calm down.”
“No more drugs. Why are you avoiding the questions?”
“Everything will be answered in time, but for now let’s just go and have a nice breakfast together.”
“I don’t like it,” Kennedy said, walking into the cafeteria and grabbing food.
An hour later they walked into the prepared room. The team included Brandon, Ryan, James, and some other medical personnel. This specific room was large, but only had a medical table in the middle. A large glass window and door separated an adjoining room. In that room sat Brandon and his team, working on a computer.
“Just lay down on this table,” Ryan said calmly.
She climbed on and gently laid her head down. It was not comfortable at all. Above her head, mounted to the ceiling, was a TV screen. Currently a screensaver was playing repeatedly.
“Can you see the screen well?”
Kennedy nodded.
“Great, I’m going to go check something.”
Kennedy saw James, the man from the day before, run up to Brandon. He was offering Brandon some tips on how to test her. James suggested trying several different types of codes and from a variety of different countries. Brandon looked annoyed.
“I have already assembled a compilation, thank you James,” he replied.
“Right, ok,” James said, taking a step backwards.
Kennedy focused back on Jordan, who was standing over her.
“Kennedy?”
“Right,” she said, shaking her head. She hadn’t been paying attention to Jordan. “Read the messages, yeah I got it.”
“That’s not what I said at all.”
She didn’t respond, she was soaking it all in. This whole situation was sterile and unwelcoming. From the bare walls, the dim light, and the emptiness of the room. Everyone bes
ides Jordan and Ryan kept their distance, as if she were some lab rat. Even the way they had her body lying in a submissive position. Couldn’t she read while standing, or at least sitting? Whether intentional or not, Kennedy felt the dominance of the company over her.
Kennedy took a deep breath. She needed to focus on what was important. How was she going to get out of this? If she lied about the code, they might find her useless and get rid of her. If she told the truth, she could be helping them. Neither option looked good.
∆∆∆
“How are you feeling?” Jordan asked Kennedy. He could sense her hesitation. She had remained mostly silent through breakfast. He knew she felt nervous, and Jordan wanted to help.
“I'm just afraid.”
“Don't worry, I will be there the whole time, Ryan too.”
“Can we stop when I feel like it?” Kennedy asked.
“Absolutely.”
“I am living an adventure, but at the same time don’t know what the adventure is.”
Jordan didn't answer for a while. How do you respond to that? She was miserable.
“Maybe in this adventure you are the hero? That would be better right?” He brushed a strand of hair out of Kennedy's eyes.
“Maybe,” Kennedy replied as she whipped away.
Jordan didn't know what Kennedy had going through her mind, but her comments concerned him. She didn't look ready to do these tests but seemed to understand that to some degree, she didn't have a choice. He respected her at that moment.
“Kennedy, Jordan, we are glad that you could make it,” Brandon said, walking over to Jordan and Kennedy with outstretched hands.
“Yes,” Jordan replied quickly as Kennedy remained silent.
“Let me introduce you to the team Kennedy,” Brandon said, while Kennedy laid on the table.
“Kennedy, Ryan will be watching over you medically, make sure you are doing alright. James will be making sure we use a variety of codes. Phil, our programmer will oversee displaying the codes on both screens, these are some of the scientists interested, and Jordan and I will be here for moral support alright?”
“Sure,” Kennedy said.
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