She recited everything from the day she arrived until the final kidnapping, or the rescuing. She focused on specifics when she talked about the coding and the testing.
After Kennedy finished Brett smiled, “Thank you Kennedy.”
“If you are up to it, we have some training to do right now,” Jennifer half asked, and half informed.
“Alright then, let’s do it.”
Jennifer led Kennedy and Taylor down the hall. Kennedy looked back at Taylor.
“Do you mind going to Idaho?” Kennedy asked.
“I go where you go,” he said easily.
Jennifer opened a door at the end of the hall to a large room. The first-person Kennedy saw was Wendy which made her smile.
“I am here to make sure you are physically capable of everything,” Wendy said slightly glaring at Jennifer and the rest of the team when they entered the room.
Jennifer ignored Wendy’s glare and continued to enter the room. “We've assembled the greatest team the United States could ask for.”
There were about twelve people sitting in chairs waiting for them. Kennedy instinctively walked backwards and ran into Taylor. He gently motioned her forward a step.
“You will get to know all of these people over the next couple of months, and they will get to know you too. They are going to help you train. Some of them are medical experts, personal trainers, retired NSA agents, computer experts, linguistic experts, and analysis. They will be working around the clock to help you become ready for anything you might encounter while up at school.”
Kennedy looked at all these people. How important did the NSA think she was? “Wait a minute; you had this team already assembled?”
“We have been preparing for your arrival for a few weeks. Also, we always planned for you to go back to school. It isn’t going to be normal; but we knew you would want to complete your studies.”
Kennedy really started to like these people, they seemed to be so considerate, and to think about everything. She walked a few steps further into the room as Jennifer walked forward too.
“We are going to start really slowly, so that you won’t be overwhelmed. We will bring in each expert when we need them, but today we are just going to be working with Wendy and her team Joseph and Andrew.”
The other men and women, except for one man, got up from their seats and headed out the door. They each briefly introduced themselves, said a kind word, and walked out the door. Kennedy saw Taylor watching her as he stood by the door.
The remaining man had dark black hair, olive skin, brown eyes, and an overall Italian look. He dressed in a button up shirt and casual jeans.
“May I introduce you to my boss Dustin Miller,” Taylor said as the man stepped closer.
“Hello,” Kennedy said, shaking Dustin's hand.
“I heard you did great on the helicopter ride,” Dustin replied.
“I thought you were out of town?” Taylor asked.
“I rushed back, eager to meet Kennedy,” Dustin replied.
“I suppose you knew about the gunshot wound,” Taylor stated.
“Why don’t we talk later.” Dustin suggested. “Kennedy, I’m excited to see what you are capable of.”
“Ok,” Taylor replied.
“Can we get started now?” Brett asked, anxious.
Kennedy turned her attention back to the rest of the room; they had also watched the awkward exchange.
“No time like the present,” she said, mostly to convince herself.
“Don’t worry, we are going to take you through everything,” Jennifer explained.
∆∆∆
Taylor watched while the medical team ascended onto Kennedy for the rest of the day. Although their tactics appeared mostly nonsensical to him, the medical team didn’t act like it.
They had her step inside what looked like a big metal detector.
“This will scan your body,” Wendy explained.
“What is it scanning?” Kennedy asked.
“Measuring every inch of your body, calculating your body mass index, and a variety of other things. We need to know everything,” Wendy said.
Later, Taylor watched her perform all kinds of interesting acts, like walking along a line, drawing a circle, and rubbing her stomach while tapping her head. Wendy and Taylor both watched Kennedys very carefully through the whole day. Wendy watched for physical stress, while Taylor focused more on mental and emotional stress.
Twice in the morning Kennedy had to stop and take another pill. Taylor looked to Wendy, but she nodded back her approval. She was going through Codeine like it was Tylenol.
They had brought food in for lunch, but Taylor could see that it was getting harder for Kennedy to keep up around dinner. It was time for him to step in.
“Wendy, Jennifer, that is enough for today, it is time for dinner.” Taylor said as he got up from his seat and walked over to Kennedy. They were currently testing her balancing skills on a little bar, and she could barely stay on for a few seconds at a time.
“Just one more time,” Jennifer pleaded.
“No, Taylor is right,” Wendy chimed in. “That is good for today. Thank you, Kennedy.”
Kennedy waved to the team as she walked over to Taylor. She nodded her head to him as he held the door open for her. She was exhausted.
“I'm tired.” Kennedy said as she walked down the hallway.
“Yes, I know. We are going to get something to eat and then you can rest.”
“Okay,” she said through a yawn.
As they made it to the cafeteria, Taylor realized he had waited too long to pull the plug for the day. Kennedy wobbled over to the cafeteria line and looked like she could pass out at any time. He quickly grabbed something for himself, set his plate down, and rushed over to help steady her as she leaned into the edge of the counter.
“This way, what do you want?” Taylor asked as he held her plate and half held her.
“Anything,” she said oblivious to how tipsy she was.
Taylor grabbed some meat, potatoes, and a roll before he mostly carried her back to where he had placed his food.
At least she hadn’t lost her appetite, he admired as she inhaled all the food. He tried to keep up to her pace, but decided that if he was still hungry, he would just come back later to finish. He needed to get her into bed.
By the time she finished eating she was half asleep. Taylor half carried her to her room.
“I’m sorry,” she said wearily at her door.
“You had a long day; it is no problem. Can you make it inside by yourself?”
She nodded as she walked inside and closed the door.
Then Taylor headed over to visit Dustin in his office.
“How could you leave me in the dark like that?” Taylor said, leaving his emotions all on the table.
“Would you have gone if I told you about the gunshot? I know that you, could you have done it?”
Taylor sat in one of the chairs facing Dustin's desk. “No, probably not.”
“Let it go. Kennedy's shoulder probably hurts, but it didn't do any permanent damage. How is she?”
“Exhausted,” Taylor smiled. “Did you hear about last night? How she almost drowned?”
“No,” Dustin said smiling, “She keeps you on her toes doesn't she.”
“Yes, she has definitely kept me busy.”
“How do you feel about going to Idaho?”
“Doesn't matter to me, are you going to let me choose my team?”
“No, they are already assembled.”
Taylor shook his head, “Right, who do I have to work with.”
“Me, and I thought I would bring a rookie to give her some field experience.”
“You?” Taylor questioned.
“Don't worry, you will be lead, but I'm interested in this case.”
“Alright,” Taylor said, knowing he would lose that battle. “Did you read over her account at the company?”
“No, not yet.”
“Co
me on,” Taylor said standing up. “I've got a copy in my office; we can go over it together.”
“Sounds great,” Dustin said standing up from his chair.
Just like that, Taylor knew their friendship was back on track.
∆∆∆
Kennedy woke up around 8 a.m. and was still exhausted from the day before. Sighing, she realized she had many more of those days ahead. How was her body going to be able to keep up with this kind of demand? She forced her body to get into the shower and get dressed. When she opened the front door, just like the day before, Taylor was waiting for her. She wondered if he slept himself.
“How did you sleep last night?” he asked as they walked to breakfast.
“Like a rock, I don’t even remember getting into bed.”
Taylor grinned and said, “Good, because you got another full day in front of you. I talked to Jennifer and Wendy and they decided today is the last full day, then we’ll switch to half days. How does that sound?”
“Like you read my mind, I’m still tired from yesterday.”
“Well maybe a nice breakfast will wake you up.”
“Maybe,” she said doubtfully.
After breakfast Taylor took Kennedy back to the huge room of odd things. This time Kennedy looked around the room itself, it was about half the size of a football field. Some of the things Kennedys saw were: yoga balls, a rock climbing wall, a twelve person circular table, vision test poster, work out equipment, several desks with computers, a kitchenette, a door marked as the bathroom, basketball hoop, a sitting area, several large flat screen televisions, a pool table, ping pong table, and lots of cabinets.
Kennedy couldn't look around for long though, it was time for the ‘medical’ madness to continue. Kennedy felt these tests were all a waste of time, but she never complained. She simply did her best and apologized when she messed up. Wendy, Jennifer, Andrew, and Joseph were nice people and her actions never dimmed their enthusiasm. Two of them recorded everything Kennedy performed, and the other two worked with Kennedy directly. They either helped, explained, or demonstrated how to do the next task. Some of the tasks tested her physical stamina, while others tested mental stamina. Both were a challenge for Kennedy.
At lunch, the testing didn’t stop, as the four of them asked Kennedy all kinds of questions. They were so random, that Kennedy wondered if they just said whatever came to their mind. While they talked, she would grab a bite of food. Some were about birds, others about fruit, and others were about Ireland. She tried to chew quickly but sometimes there were awkward silences as they waited for her to respond.
The afternoon continued and dragged on forever. Kennedy saw Taylor begin to pace the far wall and wondered what he was thinking about. She didn’t dare check the time. It would only lead to disappointment. How much was left to do?
Finally, after Kennedy expected to fall over, Jennifer said, “Alright we are done with that section.”
Relief poured over Taylor’s face as he walked over to Kennedy to take her to dinner. Kennedy didn't want to wait for him and fell into a bean bag. Apparently, Taylor couldn't see the bean bag from his view and ran over to her, clearly worried. He laughed when he saw her laying on the bean bag.
“How is the shoulder pain?” Wendy asked.
“Slowly getting better.”
“Do you need more pills?”
“No, I’m still ok.”
“Let me know,” Wendy said, and she saw her signal something to Taylor.
“Taylor, I am just going to sleep here tonight okay?” Kennedy said with her eyes already closed and cuddled up against the small bean bag chair.
“I don’t think so, you have been in here all day, and it is time to get out. Come on, I will take you to your room.”
Kennedy pulled Taylor’s outreached arm and walked slowly back to her room. Taylor walked next to her and kept her slow pace, and never pushed her.
At the door, Kennedy turned to say goodnight.
“Do you mind if I check the room tonight?” Taylor asked.
“What are you looking for?” Kennedy asked.
“Bad guys,” Taylor replied.
“Oh ok,” Kennedy said, already half asleep. “Will you check for monsters under the bed too?”
“Ha ha ha,” Taylor said as quickly swept the room, and did in fact look under the bed.
“Good night Kennedy,” he said walking out.
“Good night Taylor,” she said faintly, before collapsing on the bed and falling asleep.
Kennedy woke up with a start when she saw the sun already up. Looking at the clock she was shocked to see that it was almost noon. For a moment she thought Taylor would be furious that she had slept in so long, so she rushed to the shower and into some clothes.
As she opened the front door, someone had just knocked. Taylor was standing there.
“Are you alright? Your heart rate was elevated.” Taylor said with worry on his face.
“Oh, right, sorry, I was rushed because I slept in so long,” she said embarrassed.
“Don’t worry, you are fine. No one would blame you after what you endured over the last two days. Only half days from now on. It should be easier on you.”
“I sure hope so. Can we get something to eat now? I feel like I haven’t eaten for days.”
Taylor held his arm out, leading the way, “I figure you would say that, I couldn’t even get you to eat dinner last night.”
Kennedy ate her lunch quietly as she watched other people come in and out of the cafeteria. She wondered if they knew who she was, of if she was the only one in the dark about everyone else.
Kennedy could see Taylor watching her, but he didn’t interrupt her silence. He was starting to pick up on when to talk, when to cheer her up, and when to just leave her alone. She appreciated all those things.
Today, Kennedy led the way after lunch to the now well-known room. Wendy welcomed her this afternoon, and introduced her to Todd, an optometrist who had studied coding. He was one the specialists she had met on the first day. Was today the day they were going to test her deciphering abilities? What if her ability at the company had been a fluke? Maybe she wasn’t different at all? She clung to these ideas. If she was normal, she would be able to go back to her old life, no conditions. The idea of helping the NSA was exciting, but she was also content to just be Kennedy.
∆∆∆
Taylor watched Todd introduce himself to Kennedy. Wendy notified him earlier that morning that they were going to test her deciphering abilities today. He had been quite intrigued about Kennedy’s claim. Could someone subconsciously decipher code?
Normally he kept his distance and stood near the door, but today he stood next to Kennedy. Off to the left of the room on the pool table were twenty flash cards turned over. To the right of the pool table a flat screen television had been pulled over.
Jennifer directed Kennedy towards one side of the pool table. She stood level with the back of the television, so she couldn't see what was being displayed. Jennifer, Brett, Todd, Taylor, Wendy, and Andrew, all stood on the other side of the pool table where they could watch Kennedy and the television. Taylor stood in between where he could see the TV but was also only a few steps from Kennedy.
Brett started talking to Kennedy, “Now all we want you to do is to read what is on the back of the flash cards. When you pick a card, a replica and the correct answer is going to display on this television. This way we can see what you see, alone with the deciphered code.”
Todd, the optometrist then started talking as he walked towards Kennedy, “You claim to be able to read coded messages like regular text? That would mean your eyes would somehow filter information to your subconscious.” He put his hands on her shoulders in excitement.
Taylor took a step towards Kennedy and cleared his throat; Todd took a step back. Taylor had seen Kennedy tense up, and then relax at the man’s unwanted touch. Had she ever reacted like that when he was near her? Taylor hoped he hadn’t made her feel uncomfortable.
Todd then continued, “Do you know what codes they questioned you with?”
Kennedy shook her head.
“We’ll see how you handle these first. Work your way left to right. The left are the easiest and progressively get harder.”
Wendy stood up, “Any questions or comments Kennedy?”
“The other times I’ve attempted this, I’ve almost passed out. Maybe it is a side effect?”
“Right, I do remember you saying that in your recounting,” Wendy said. “We’ll make sure to watch you extra carefully, right Taylor?”
“I’m always watching carefully,” Taylor replied.
“Then, let's get started,” Andrew, Wendy’s assistant, suggested.
Nodding Kennedy picked up the first card, “House.”
“Now just read what is on the card,” Andrew clarified.
“That is what I see on the card,” Kennedy argued.
Andrew, Todd, Jennifer, Brett, and Wendy stared at the television which displayed the card and the decoded version. Taylor was so interested that he also took his eyes off Kennedy to look at the screen. The top of the TV showed what was displayed on the flashcard, “0111000221101.” On the bottom of the screen was a line that said, “Deciphered message: House.”
“That is exactly what you see?” Wendy also asked.
Frustrated Kennedy said, “Yes, you asked me to read the card and this is what it says. Am I doing something wrong?”
“No,” Taylor said reassuringly. He glared at Wendy and Jennifer who backed off. “Just move to the next card.”
“Yes, sorry Kennedy, we didn’t mean to interrupt you,” Jennifer said joining in.
Kennedy read the next five cards without any interruption and made sure to pause in between each card, waiting for their reaction.
Taylor watched as Kennedy decoded each of the words that were placed in front of her. Each time she responded; he took a brief second to check the screen. Every single time she was right. How was this possible? Was Jennifer and Brad right about her DNA being different from everyone else? Kennedy seemed to have no trouble at all reading each word or phrase. But Taylor did notice the fatigue beginning to set in.
She had completed one set, and Todd was setting up the second set. In between she sat down. Could reading really affect someone as she had described? Taylor continued to ponder this as he watched her. With each new word she recited, Taylor inched closer and closer. He knew she wasn’t going to last much longer, and figured the team wouldn’t notice, they were blinded with wonder.
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