Madeleine & the Mind

by Felicia Mires

  "Yes. Ours is not the only project underway at The Institute. Would you like to see a little of what we do?"

  She batted her lashes at him. "I'd adore it."

  He took her by the elbow, and she winked at Mike as she walked past. There had to be some way to determine who the murderer was. Flirting always helped to lighten the mood.

  Dr. Giliteau took her inside the cubicle. "Do you see this long barrel?"

  She nodded, watching his face with rapt attention.

  "It's actually a facilitator for an electro-magnetic pulse laser."

  "I have no idea what you're talking about."

  "No one does. That's what Dr. Faraday was working on when he lost his ability to articulate."

  "I see."

  It looked as if Madeleine was going to learn Steven's secret whether she wanted to or not.

  "If it worked, that laser could point at any rocket, any ground-to-air missile…" He shrugged his shoulder in a Gaelic gesture. "Anything that operated with any form of electricity would be shut down instantly."

  "What about whatever was holding the laser? Why doesn't it shut itself down?"

  He looked at her in amazement. "Very good, Mademoiselle. We created a shield, or barrier, that protects the sender of the signal." He stepped to the side of the room and picked up a model F-16. "For example, this fighter could point the laser at a heat- seeking missile and knock out the navigational system of the missile without setting off the bomb. However, it would have no effect whatsoever on any of his systems."

  "How dangerous is the laser?"

  "Relatively no effect on anything that isn't electrical."

  "It sounds ideal as a defensive weapon. But couldn't it knock out anything else electrical…like a city or an entire country?"

  "I suppose there are those who might take advantage of this technology, but that is not its primary purpose." He set the model down and leaned against the counter, closer to Madeleine. "When do you get a break from the wonder-boy?"

  She smiled up at him. "I think, Dr. Giliteau, that you mean boy wonder."

  "Call me Frank."

  At that moment, Steven stumbled between them and knocked a beaker of fluid all over Dr. Giliteau. He jumped back with a nasty look on his face, clenching his fists.

  Madeleine felt the tension in the small space and took Steven's hand before he could cause any further trouble.

  "I'm not sure about my break, Frank. I really do need to buy a few things. I've lost all my belongings. Unfortunately, it will have to wait until the Institute gives me my first paycheck."

  "I'd be happy to cover anything you require. Perhaps tomorrow, after Dr. Faraday's fiancée arrives."

  Steven pulled at Madeleine's hand.

  "I'll let you know." She let him take her out of the cubicle. "What is it, Steven? Where are you going?"

  He took her to a counter lined with beakers and picked up a flask of fluid. She tried to grab his hand, but Mike stopped her.

  "Let him. You said you wanted him to remember."

  Steven mixed the fluid with another flask and handed it to her. Madeleine almost dropped it. "It's freezing." She sat it on the counter. "That was very impressive."

  "Yes, if you're taking high-school chemistry."

  She glared at Dr. Giliteau's back. "Don't listen to him, Steven. You're very bright. Now, why don't we come back when these other scientists are not so busy?"

  Mike walked them to the door. "So long. Your lunch tray will be delivered to your room around noon. Try not to let the boy wonder push you in the pool."

  That gave Madeleine an idea. She took Steven by the hand and led him down the hall.

  "Why don't we go swimming?"

  Chapter 3

  Madeleine took Steven and strode for the elevator. He resisted her when they passed the weight room. The room was now empty. The other employees must work out early then go to their jobs.

  "Why don't we come after lunch? You aren't dressed for exercise."

  She turned back to the door, but when she reached the hallway, he wasn't with her.

  She poked her head back in the room. Dr. Faraday had taken off his shirt and was pulling off his shoes. By the time she reached him, he was tugging at the belt to his pants.

  "No, no, no. You can't take off your clothes in here. Someone might see you. For goodness sake, I might see you."

  He dropped his pants, and she ran to the door with a squeal.

  "Stop that!"

  She looked up and down the hall. What was she going to do?

  Lord, why is that man trying my faith? I'm a professional, I can do my job, but he's a grown man with a grown man's body.

  She heard the treadmill start behind her and peeked into the room.

  Dr. Faraday was jogging. And he wore shorts. He must have been wearing them under his slacks. Madeleine banged her fists against the wall and walked back into the room. "You might have told me. I thought you were doing a strip-tease."

  And with a body like that, no doubt, many women would pay. As usual, he ignored her.

  Madeleine stepped on the machine next to him and turned it on low. She hadn't done much jogging lately, but she did need the exercise.

  She ran for about five minutes. Jogging without music or someone to talk to was extremely boring. Steven probably managed it because he was locked in his own world, but she was bored.

  "What's your girlfriend like? Let me guess. You're tall, so she's probably tall. Blond, and extremely gorgeous. She'd have to be to compete with you. You seem to be fairly fastidious. A byproduct of that scientist's mind, no doubt. So, your girlfriend is probably some stuck-up, uptight…I should keep my mouth shut. If you love her, that's all that matters.

  "What about parents? Don't you have any parents? You seem young to be involved in something so…important. Dr. Giliteau told me about your project. I suppose you heard him. You pushed him on purpose, didn't you? You don't have to be jealous. They pay me to take care of you. I'm not going to run after anyone else."

  He turned off his machine and walked out.

  Interesting. What had she said that he didn't like? Or, was he completely oblivious to her conversation?

  She gathered up his belongings and followed him to the elevator. "Steven, you can't leave your clothes lying around. And you shouldn't go traipsing about without your shirt. None of the women will get any work done."

  They stepped into the elevator, and she helped him slip his shirt on. She buttoned the top button then looked up at his eyes. They held that intent look again.

  "What are you thinking right now?"

  Her hand dropped away from his shirt, and she stepped back.

  He gave her a wide, innocent smile.

  Suddenly, the bell dinged, and the door opened behind her.

  When they reached their rooms, Madeleine got out her bathing suit. "I'm going swimming. Do you want to go?"

  She wandered into his room and found him sitting at the window. She walked over to him and reached for his face.

  "Look at me. Do you even know why I'm here? I'm supposed to help you speak again. Don't you want to speak?"

  He gave her that innocuous, childlike smile. He was so beautiful, it was heartbreaking. Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked them away. There was no reason to distress him. She had to believe God would heal him, would show her how to help him.

  "Give me your hand, Steven."

  He held it up, and Madeleine put it on her throat. She hummed. "Can you feel that? I need you to try that."

  She put her hand on his Adam's apple. "Try to make your throat vibrate."

  She waited several seconds, but nothing happened, so she dropped her hand away. "It's all right. We'll figure it out."

  He reached up and covered her neck with his hand.

  "You want me to hum?" She hummed, and he grinned. "You can feel that, can't you?" She hummed again then she reached for his neck. "Now, you."

  She stared into his eyes, waiting for him to try it. All of the sudden, his eyes
went blank.

  She dropped her hand and stood. "You know, sometimes you just close up. But I appreciate those moments when you really look at me." She stepped to the dividing door. "I'm locking this door, because I'm going to change my clothes. Put on your bathing suit. When I'm ready, I'll knock."

  Madeleine slipped into the black suit, deep in thought about her patient. Dr. Steven Faraday was an enigma. Madeleine desperately needed to speak with his physician. Maybe there was some type of therapy Steven needed, something she hadn't thought of. And who was in charge at The Institute? Thus far, Mike was the only person who told her what to do. Shouldn't someone be checking on her program of therapy?

  She knocked on the door and waited a few seconds. It wasn't as if he would answer. She opened the door, and he was sitting at his desk writing. She gasped. He was writing!

  She ran to look over his shoulder.

  Madeleine Madeleine Madeleine Madeleine

  He was writing her name over and over and spelling it correctly. She sank back on his bed and watched him. Why in the world was he writing her name? It could mean any number of things. Maybe he was trying to communicate what he couldn't speak.

  She watched him for five more minutes before he put the pen down.

  She stood and looked at the paper. Nothing but her name. So much for communicating.

  She patted his hand. "That's very smart of you. You spelled it correctly, and you have lovely penmanship. May I have this?"

  He handed it to her.

  Madeleine took it to her room and placed it beside her bed.

  "Are you ready to go swimming?" she called from the other room.

  Steven walked in carrying a bottle of sunblock and a towel. He handed her the sunblock and turned his back to her.

  "I take it you want some lotion."

  She rubbed lotion across his back, keeping her mind under strict control. She tried not to think about how it felt to touch the hard muscles of his back. "There."

  He turned around.

  "I think you can handle the front." She handed him the bottle and went to the bathroom to get a towel.

  While she put her hair in a ponytail, he crept up behind her. She caught his reflection in the mirror. "What is it?"

  He held up his hand. It had lotion on it. He reached for her back, and she nearly jumped when he touched her. His hands crept across her shoulders in slow, sure movements. Madeleine's toes curled with the tension he created in her. Not a good thing.

  She stepped away. There were some things she was not prepared to endure. "That's good, really. I'm not one of those red-heads who burn. Well…I'm strawberry blonde…anyway."

  He held up his hand in front of her.

  "No, absolutely not. I'll do the front." She took the bottle from him so he could watch her do it. "Now. Can we please go to the pool?"

  He walked to the door.

  When they got outside, Madeleine made sure Steven walked beside the pool. As they walked past the deep end, she shoved him in. Then she stood over the edge and watched with glee. He bobbed to the surface.

  Madeleine laughed and held out her hand. "How's the water, sweetums?"

  He reached for her hand and yanked her over his head into the water.

  She grabbed at him as she came up, laughing and spluttering. "Oh, you stinker. I should have seen that coming."

  She turned on her back and floated across the pool. She loved to swim. After going several lengths of the pool, Steven appeared beside her. He pointed at the far end.

  "What? You want to race me? A dinky little girl like me can't beat a big strapping boy like you." He pointed at the end again. "Ok…Ready, set, go."

  Madeleine swam as hard as she could, but Steven was nearly at the end before she got halfway. When she caught up to him, she was laughing so hard she couldn't talk. She took several deep breaths. "Think you're a jock, don't you?"

  He grinned at her and headed back to the shallow end. Madeleine turned on her back and closed her eyes. She felt a tug on her foot and kicked. He was playing again. She felt a strong grip on both ankles and opened her eyes. She could see Steven at the shallow end. He had his back to her. Who was pulling her feet?

  She opened her mouth to scream and choked as her body sank under the water. She tried to kick her feet, but couldn't get loose. She clawed at the water and rolled her body like a crocodile.

  A streak of pain scraped down her leg as she got one foot free. Her assailant had clawed her.

  Madeleine fought frantically to loosen her other foot, but she was nowhere near the surface. She was losing the fight. Where was Steven? Had someone attacked him, too?

  She blacked out.

  The next thing she knew, her mouth hung open as water spewed out. She gasped for air and retched. The heat from the concrete burned into her back, yet she shook all over. She moaned and opened her eyes.

  Steven stared down at her. She reached up her arms, and he held her.

  "Steven," she whispered. "Someone tried to drown me." And then she burst into tears.

  She heard voices approaching then Mike ran up. Steven moved away from her, and she wrapped her arms around her stomach and tried to stop shaking.

  "Madeleine, are you all right?" Mike put a hand on her arm. "Did Steven push you in the water again?"

  Madeleine looked at the concerned strangers. She shook her head. "No, I fell. Excuse me." She stumbled to her feet, and Mike rushed to her side with a towel. She reached for it. "Bring Steven, Mike."

  "He's gone. Let's go back to the room."

  They rode up the elevator in silence. Madeleine unlocked the door to her room, and after she shut it behind them, she turned on Mike.

  "Look at this." She pointed at her leg. There was a long, red streak that glistened with tiny beads of blood. "Someone pulled me under the water and held me until I lost my breath. I felt them scratch my leg when I tried to get free."

  "Steven wouldn't do that to you, Madeleine."

  "Mike, I told you he didn't do anything. I saw Steven at the end of the pool. I know it wasn't him. But I couldn't see anyone else. There was just a dark blur underneath me. Someone tried to kill me. Who was in that lab with you?"

  "No one. It's lunch time. I thought I'd check on the two of you."

  She closed her eyes. Her head throbbed. "Go check on Steven. He saved my life. If he hadn't pulled me out of that water…"

  Mike walked into the other room, and Madeleine shut the door and locked it. Steven had been sitting in the window in his wet bathing suit. For once, she was going to let Mike deal with him.

  She turned on the water and took a long shower. After she got out, she towel-dried her hair and put some salve on her leg. She didn't even feel like eating.

  At a knock on the door, she rose. "What is it?"

  "The doctor is here. He'd like to speak with you."

  She rolled her eyes. Perfect timing!

  She put on white scrubs with a teddy bear print and entered the other room.

  A short, round Spanish man was just packing his briefcase. He snapped it shut then greeted Madeleine.

  "Senorita Price, I'm Dr. Hidalgo. How are you getting on with the patient?"

  Madeleine shrugged. "I'm not sure. He's pushed me in the pool, lost me in the maze, and all he ever seems to enjoy is staring out that window. What am I supposed to be doing?"

  "He's trying to get rid of you, too? Well, physiologically, there's nothing wrong with him. The concussion is gone. The bump on his head is gone. And there were no lasting effects from the smoke inhalation. I've checked his brain waves and his EKG. This has to be some type of mental block. He could speak if he wanted to.

  "The usual types of voice therapy won't work on him, because there's nothing wrong with his voice. He chooses not to use it."

  Madeleine didn't really like discussing Steven while he sat in front of them. But the doctor gave her no choice.

  "What about his tendency to wander aimlessly? His movements are not always coordinated, and sometimes he doesn'
t look as if his mind is working at all."

  "I assure you, it's working. But it may not be working on what you want. He had a shock, and he lost his voice. His symptoms often resemble someone with shell-shock. My only advice is to keep introducing visual and auditory stimuli. If he'll cooperate, use different activities."

  The doctor stepped toward the door, and Madeleine hurried after him. She wasn't finished asking questions. Like, when was she going to get some time off, and who did she ask to get it?

  When she came back to her room, Mike stood waiting for her. "Madeleine if you're all right now, I think I better get back to the lab."

  "Don't tell anyone what I said about the pool."

  "If that's what you want. I'll come by after dinner to give you a break."

  "Thank you."

  He left the room, and Madeleine looked over at the window. Steven sat in his usual perch. She didn't feel like forcing him to do anything, so she picked up her cold lunch tray and started to eat. She watched his back the whole time. Something out there mesmerized him.

  When she finished her food, she put the tray in the hall then she got the Bible. "I'm going to read to you now, Steven. You can sit there or lie in your bed…whatever you want."

  She should at least make an effort to force him to acknowledge her. "Steven, look at me."

  He turned his head.

  "I don't know how you got me out of the water, but you saved my life. Thank you. Did you see anyone, anyone at all?"

  There was no change in his expression. His empty stare looked past her shoulder.

  "Well, thank you. Do you want to sit beside me while I read?"

  He staggered to the bed and sat on the edge. Then he pointed at Madeleine's leg.

  "I'm sorry, Steven, I don't understand."

  He stared at her as if he didn't really understand himself, then he pulled her pants leg up from her ankle.

  "Oh. It's the other leg."

  She stretched out her leg and pulled at the hem of her pants.

  Steven put his fingers at either end of the scrape and stared. Then he let go of her leg and lay back on his bed. He looked completely relaxed with his arms behind his head.