mind slide sample

7/31/2019 Mind Slide Sample

1/23

Mind Slide

by Glenn Bullion


2/23

Copyright 2011 by Glenn Bullion

This book is a work of fiction. Names characters places an! inci!ents are eitherpro!ucts of the author"s imagination or use! fictitiously. #ny resemblance to actual e$entslocales or persons li$ing or !ea! is entirely coinci!ental. #ll rights reser$e!. No part ofthis publication can be repro!uce! or transmitte! in any form or by any means electronic

or mechanical without permission in writing from Glenn Bullion.

Co$er %esign Copyright 2011 by &http'((%igital%onna.com)


3/23

*or +atie

#lso for the new a!!ition ,ascal an! his big brother -reo.

pecial Thanks' Nicole /ick an! ,an!i cott


4/23

Chapter 1

*i$eyearol! ason Thomas woke up on the ceiling. Nausea o$erwhelme! him asmen an! women beneath him mo$e! aroun! at an o!! angle. The room was unfamiliar.e coul!n"t remember how he got stuck abo$e e$eryone else. /as he !reaming3

Terror grippe! him as he reali4e! something was horribly wrong. e shoul!n"t beseeing the tops of hea!s an! shoul!ers.

e calle! the first name he coul! think of.5ommy65The men an! women below !i!n"t hear him.The a!ults spoke 7uickly to each other almost running aroun! the room. There

were machines making lou! noises. ason put his han!s to his ears but that !i!n"t help!rown out the noise.

# scent touche! his nose that ma!e him gag an! !ryhea$e.8n the mi!!le of the room below were three gurneys. There was a person on each

one. The two larger figures were burnt beyon! recognition. e coul! only make out the

tiny bo!y beneath him.8t looke! 9ust like him.e finally recogni4e! he was in a hospital. e watche! enough T: to know what a

hospital looke! like.# !octor ran into the room. 5/hat !o we got here35#nother !octor cut ason"s shirt up the mi!!le an! rippe! it away. e coul!n"t look

away from the tiny chil! beneath him. 8t was like looking into a mirror only his eyes wereclose!.

5# lightning strike5 a woman sai!. he gesture! to the two motionless figures ne;tto his bo!y. 5The parents are gone. The boy"s ali$e but we"re losing him.5

5ommy6 %a!!y65 ason shoute!. 5/here are you35

e was lost an! confuse!. e !i!n"t un!erstan! what the !octors an! nurses were!oing. They no longer e$en looke! at the two gurneys ne;t to him. They shoute! at eachother an! rubbe! something on his chest. # !octor rolle! up a cart with another of theirmany machines on it.

ason trie! to turn on his si!e. e pushe! away from the ceiling with his elbows.8t !i!n"t work.is little mouth opene! in horror as his elbows sank insi!e the tile ceiling. e coul!

feel the roughness of the tile surroun!ing his elbow. e shoute! then crosse! his armstightly. e rubbe! his forearms still feeling the flesh on his bones.

e slowly starte! to float towar! the bo!y beneath him. # secon! ago he wante!nothing more than to get !own from the ceiling. #s the bo!y on the gurney got closer he

wante! to go back up.5No6 Get away65e !rifte! through his bo!y like it wasn"t e$en there. *or 9ust a brief flash he saw

things no fi$eyearol! shoul! see. Bloo! $essels tissue his own optic ner$es. eemerge! through the back of his skull !rifte! through the gurney an! lan!e! gently on thecol! floor.

e crie! yet no tears staine! his face.58 want my ommy65e trie! to crawl away mo$ing in between the legs of the !octors working fe$erishly

to sa$e his life. e ran from the room knowing the two blackene! things back thereweren"t his mother an! father.

The hallway was much 7uieter.


5/23

=$eryone ignore! him as he walke! !own the hall. The hallway opene! up to awaiting room. ason looke! aroun! with wi!e eyes at the many people sitting an! pacingeither waiting to be seen or waiting for lo$e! ones. #s he searche! their faces trying tospot his parents something terrifying settle! in his min!.

e !i!n"t know what his parents looke! like.e shut his eyes tight trying to remember them. e knew his name was ason

Thomas. e was fi$e years ol! with black hair an! brown eyes. e ha! a mother an!father.

#n! that was all.e !i!n"t know his teacher"s name or if he e$en went to school. e !i!n"t know

where he li$e! or if he ha! any frien!s./orst of all he !i!n"t know his parents.e felt tears running !own his face. /hen he went to wipe them he again felt

nothing. e walke! up to the office in the corner with the win!ow an! the pretty nurse.5iss Nurse35 he sai!. 5Coul! you help me fin! my ommy an! %a!!y35ason trie! to put his han!s on the !esk. is han!s passe! through the top. e

yanke! them back an! stare! at them.

The nurse picke! up the phone.5ey it"s me. >ou shoul! ha$e seen the family they wheele! in here. +ille! by

lightning. Can you belie$e that3 8 think they were hol!ing han!s or something got allthree of them. 8t"s so sa!.5

5iss Nurse5 ason sai! 9umping up an! !own. 58"m right here. Can you help meplease35

# !octor approache! the !esk. e stoo! almost on top of ason. The boy"s bo!ypenetrate! the !octor all the way up to his ear. e coul! almost hear the !octor"s bloo!pumping insi!e his bo!y.

5ey65 he sai! 9umping away. e was angry at e$eryone ignoring him. 58 want myommy an! %a!!y65

e reache! out to put his han! on the wall. e ha!n"t touche! anything soli!e;cept the floor since falling from the ceiling. till surprise! when his han! !ippe! into thewall he mo$e! it aroun! for a moment feeling the !rywall an! metal stu!s. *or 9ust amoment it was the coolest thing in the worl!.

ason looke! up an! notice! the !octor !i!n"t look at him. The nurse behin! the!esk the people in the waiting room the technicians an! the 9anitor that walke! by no onesaw him.

e was surroun!e! by people but he was alone.58 !on"t like this !ream. 8 want to wake up now.5# stab of pain grippe! his chest an! the waiting room $anishe! in a flash. Three

!octors peere! !own at him a bright light behin! them.Then he was back in the waiting room.e buckle! o$er from the pain.5


6/23

where those black manne7uinlooking things were. 5/here are the tables that werethere35

The !octors tra!e! pu44le! looks. -ne of the nurses stare! at ason her eyesfille! with fear.

# !octor wheele! him away. ason was only half listening.5>ou"ll ha$e your own room...meet a nice !octor la!y name! ary...5

The nice !octor la!y name! ary wasn"t prepare! to meet ason Thomas. hewas rea!y to tell ason he was an orphan help him !uring the traumatic a!9ustmentperio! an! transition him into foster care.

he wasn"t prepare! for his memory loss.-r the $i$i! nightmares of ason waking up in strange places.


7/23

Chapter 2

ason awoke on a carpete! floor. e blinke! twice an! rubbe! at his eyes. ecoul! hear the 7uiet hum of fluorescent lights as he pulle! himself into a sitting position.The worl! slowly sli! into focus. %espite the familiar feel of the carpet he !i!n"t knowwhere he was.

e looke! up to see teenagers walking back an! forth. The soun!s of lockersopening an! closing fille! the halls. e hear! parts of con$ersations. # small smiletouche! his face as he finally recogni4e! where he was.

igh school.e climbe! to his feet as a group of pretty soccer players strutte! by laughing an!

talking. tu!ents tosse! a ball back an! forth as they 9ogge! !own the hall a teacheryelling at them. Two honor stu!ents compare! notes near the water fountain. # boy sol!wee! to a girl in the corner near a set of stairs.

This was where ason was suppose! to be.e was si;teen years ol!. That woul! put him in tenth gra!e. e was suppose! to

wake up e$ery morning an! eat a breakfast his mother cooke!. e woul! make fun of hisfather as they ate at the table. aybe he"! pet the cat if they ha! one. e"! go to schoolmaybe the $ery same one he stoo! in$isible in now. Get re9ecte! by girls atten! a soccergame maybe !o a little homework.

other Nature !eci!e! she !i!n"t like that plan.he e$en took away e$ery memory of his family.# bell rang out o$er the halls. e"! $isite! enough high schools to know that was

the warning bell. tu!ents ha! fi$e minutes to get to their classes.ason spotte! a gorgeous blon! walking se$eral books tucke! un!er her arm. e

fell in behin! her 9ust enough to pick up her alluring perfume. e ne$er ha! a chance topass a note to a girl in class or look at one long enough to let her know he was intereste!.

e followe! her as she hea!e! to class. e !ragge! his han! through the lockers as hewalke! feeling their contents in between col! metal. ?ackets books mirrors e$en a gunor two.

The blon! !ucke! into a math class ason a step behin!. ost teenagers !i!e$erything they coul! to get out of school. e wante! nothing more than to get in.

The bell rang as the class took their seats. #n el!erly man in his si;ties scribble!notes on a whiteboar!. ason foun! an empty seat near the back. e scoote! in makingsure to keep his han!s to himself. e learne! long ago that he wasn"t really sitting in theseat but his pro9ecte! consciousness was.

?ust once he wishe! he coul! sit through an entire class.To!ay woul!n"t be that !ay.

#s the teacher starte! talking about polynomial e7uations he hear! a lou! knock.e looke! aroun! the class surprise! no one else hear! it. They simply focuse! on thestrange notes on the whiteboar!.

e hear! it again an! reali4e! what it was before he hear! the $oice.5ey ason. >ou"! better wake up o$er there or you"ll miss breakfast.5ason close! his eyes an! let his bo!y pull his min! back. The feel of the har!

seat was replace! by a nearlyashar! be!. The open classroom fa!e!. The twel$ebytwel$e room he slept in e$ery night took its place.

e opene! his eyes slowly an! ma!e sure he !i!n"t mo$e too fast. e !i!n"t feellike getting sick again.

Big %a$e the security guar! stoo! at the open !oorway. Big %a$e was one of thefew people ason like!. till he wishe! %a$e woul!n"t 9ust open his !oor. The !oors toe$ery room only locke! on the outsi!e.


8/23

5Thanks %a$e. /hat are we ha$ing this morning3558 !on"t know but you"! better get mo$ing.5ason wa$e! an! no!!e! an! Big %a$e $anishe! from the !oorway.e looke! aroun! at his surroun!ings.5ome sweet home.5# far cry from the high school he 9ust $isite!. =$erything in the room was white

from the walls all the way !own to the sheets. There was a white !resser that hel! whitegowns white shirts white pants an! white un!erwear. =$en the clock an! ra!io on thenightstan! were white.

e ma!e his be! before hea!ing to the cafeteria. e trie! to a$oi! contact withe$eryone like he always !i!. ome of the people that finishe! breakfast early en9oye! themorning sun out in the gar!en. ason watche! them as he stoo! in line waiting for hiswarm bowl of oatmeal.

e glance! aroun! as he was her!e! to his morning breakfast. =$eryonesurroun!ing him were in !ifferent areas of the mental health scale. Gla!ys the el!erlyla!y in front of him suffere! from se$ere !epression brought on from the !eath of herhusban!. ichael in the corner ha! anger management issues.

e passe! /allace who sho$ele! oatmeal in his mouth@Goo! morningA /allace sai!.ason looke! !own an! smile!. @orning /allace. ow"s it going3A/allace shot him an angry look.@8 wasn"t talking to you.Ae hel! his spoon in front of him an! laughe! petting it like it was a !og.@Can you belie$e the ner$e of that guy3A /allace aske! his spoon.ason shook his hea! an! kept his eyes forwar!.e knew he !i!n"t belong.# few people stare! at him as he laughe! alou! an! mo$e! up one more spot in

line. ingling Beha$ioral ealth was a mysterybut he knew it must ha$e in$ol$e! a lot of meetings an! a lot of money e;changing han!s.#n entire wing was a!!e! 9ust for ason where he spent his !ays being poke! an!pro!!e!. They !i! countless things to him all of which he trie! not to think about. ealways won!ere! if that ne;t e;periment or one more !ose of that crap they calle! theCocktail woul! push him o$er the e!ge.

Not much of a past not much of a foreseeable future. No frien!s no family no life.aybe he was right where he belonge!.

e was in a foul moo! as he carrie! his oatmeal to an empty table near the back.ost of the people actually got along an! ma!e frien!s. ason wasn"t one of them. ealmost ma!e a frien! once back when he was thirteen. # girl a year ol!er than him was infor !ebilitating nightmares. They sometimes ate lunch together e$en talke! in her room afew times before she got better an! left.

e stare! at his foo! eating slowly when he felt a han! on his shoul!er. e looke!up to see tanley an! itchell ho$ering o$er him. No one was e;actly happy to be at>ingling but tanley an! itchell !ealt with it by lashing out. They were both a few yearsol!er than ason. e !i!n"t know what they were in for.


9/23

other si!e of the !ouble !oors.5ey5 he greete! trying to keep his $oice e$en an! low.5>ou"re sitting at my table5 tanley sai!.e took a !eep breath. %octor ,ierson tol! him once about bullies. %octor ,ierson

was the only one who torture! him that he almost like!. e sai! ason shoul! stan! up tothem show them they !i!n"t bother him. 8f he !i!n"t they woul!n"t stop.

ason like! ,ierson enough to call him %oc an! he almost laughe! in %oc"s face.%oc along with technicians an! other !octors woul! pull him out of his room in the

!ea! of night push nee!les into his hea! an! bo!y pump him full of !rugs. /ere they notbullies3

ason grabbe! his oatmeal an! mo$e! one table o$er.e hear! tanley an! itchell laughing an! whispering to each other. They stoo!

o$er him once again.5Ba! choice pecial. This here is itchell"s table. Get up an! get mo$ing.5ason trie! to keep his han!s from shaking an! his eyes locke! on his oatmeal.5ook guys. 8"m not mo$ing okay3 8"m not bothering anyone. o please lea$e me

alone.5

tanley grabbe! ason"s plastic spoon an! flicke! it across the table. e grippe!ason"s shoul!er.

5isten pecial there"s two ways we can !o this5ason wasn"t sure what pushe! him o$er the e!ge. 8t was either the threat of an

incoming cliche or the nine years of ha$ing his brain stu!ie!. /hate$er it was his angerfinally boile! o$er.

e stoo! up an! sho$e! his bowl of oatmeal in tanley"s face. till hol!ing thepaper bowl ason swung har! with his left han! connecting s7uarely with tanley"snose. tanley reele! back a step then fell on the groun!.

itchell was too slow with his reaction. e pulle! his fist back to throw a punch butason"s foot was alrea!y mo$ing into his testicles. is eyes bugge! out of his skull as hefell to the floor ne;t to his frien!.

The bullying was !one.ason wasn"t.tanley trie! to sit up. is face was co$ere! in oatmeal an! bloo!. ason grabbe!

his chair an! swung it at tanley"s hea!. There was a sick cracking soun! as a plastic legbroke across his face. tanley let out a cry of pain an! slumpe! back to the floor. asonwent to the si!e of the table an! turne! it o$er on them.

5/hat were those two ways again3A he taunte!. @8 !i!n"t catch them.AThe air rushe! out of his lungs as Big %a$e tackle! him from the si!e. %a$e pinne!

the teenager to the floor. ason only hear! chaos. tanley an! itchell crie! an!

moane! as they rolle! un!er the table. The people eating breakfast were on their feetcheering an! smiling. ore security an! !octors were coming in from all o$er the place.ason hear! a $oice he recogni4e!.@/hat the hell is happening here3Ae looke! up into the face of %octor #lbert ,ierson. is graying hair was more

ruffe! up than usual. is steel blue eyes hel! a !angerous fire. e grabbe! ason by theshoul!er then he an! Big %a$e lifte! ason to his feet.

@>ou tol! me to stan! up to bullies %ocA he sai!. @That"s what you sai!.A@>eah stand upto them. Not beat them to !eath.Ae looke! !own at tanley an! itchell. @/ell you"ll lea$e me alone now won"t

you3 >ou sorry pieces of shit.A

@ey6 anguage.A%oc le! ason out of the cafeteria by the arm. They passe! some nurses who

were hea!ing towar!s the cafeteria to ten! to the bullies. ason kept 7uiet as they


10/23

na$igate! the halls. e shook free from %oc"s grip but staye! ne;t to him. e knewwhere they were going.

@>ou shoul!n"t ha$e !one that asonA %oc sai!. @-ur relationship with thishospital is !elicate at best. >ou know this.A

@8"m so sorry. 8t 9ust kills me to make your life har!er.A%oc ignore! the teen"s sarcasm. @This is gonna be twenty more phone calls an!

ten more meetings now.A@/ell %oc you let me out of here an! all your problems go away.A%oc stoppe! in the hall an! looke! at ason. @#n! where woul! you go3 %i! you

forget you"re a war! of the state3Aason"s tone was lace! with $enom. @No %oc 8 !i!n"t forget. 8 !on"t forget

anything anymore. nlike the i!iots that work here. %o you know they still ha$en"t foun!my parents" picture yet3A

%oc rolle! his eyes. They stoo! in front of ason"s room. %oc ushere! him insi!ewith a wa$e of his han! then ason turne! aroun! an! crosse! his arms.

@8"m on lock!own 8 guess3A@8"m afrai! so. 8"ll ha$e to make some calls suck up a little.A

@>ou ha$e a nice !ay %oc.A%oc close! the !oor an! locke! him insi!e.ason smile!.ock!own meant nothing to him.

DDDDD%oc bought a so!a from a machine in the faculty lounge. e took a !eep !rink

before lea$ing.e hear! his name as he steppe! into the hallway. @#lbert6 ol! on a secon!.A%octor ,onal! *uller 9ogge! towar!s him. %oc trie! to hol! in laughter. e knew it

was going to be an e$entful !ay. ,onal! !i!n"t run for anything or anybo!y. 8t took $eryimportant news to make him mo$e 7uickly.

@8 hear! ason got in a fightA he sai!. @/hat happene!3A%oc patte! ,onal!"s shoul!er as they walke! !own the hall together. @,ela;

,onal!. 8 alrea!y left a message on the !irector"s machine. 8"m sure he"ll be ma! but he"llget o$er it.A

@8s ason okay3A@>eah. #fter all he"s been through two bullies are nothing.A@%o you want to skip the un!erwater test to!ay3A%oc swallowe!. e wishe! they coul! skip e$ery test until the young man turne!

eighteen.They flashe! their ba!ges as they approache! the !oors to their wing an! the

security guar! steppe! asi!e.@aybe we"! better. Gi$e him a chance to rela; for a !ay or so.AThey walke! !own one more hall until they reache! their lab. :arious !octors an!

technicians were stu!ying charts an! ;rays inputting !ata into computers creating moreof their Cocktail mi;ture. Twenty people all !e$ote! to the teenager that was asonThomas.

%oc barely ha! time to step into the lab before #nnie one of their best technicianswalke! up to him.

@%octor ,iersonA she sai!. @>ou"$e got a $isitor in your office.Ae frowne!. @#h no. #nother suit3A#nnie no!!e! an! walke! away.

%oc looke! at ,onal!. @%on"t they usually tell us before they !rop in3A,onal! shrugge!. @aybe they saw something on the reports they !i!n"t like.A%oc took a !eep breath. @Come with me. elp me han!le this.A


11/23

@ure. Then 8 want to spen! some time on the Cocktail.A e gesture! to the manyreports an! graphs scattere! on !esks an! computers. @8t looks like ason"s starting to!e$elop resistance to it. 8 want to make it stronger.A

%oc no!!e! an! the !uo walke! across the lab. They passe! the centerpiece themetal table where ason spent so much of his time an! approache! %oc"s office in thecorner. e opene! the !oor an! was caught totally by surprise.

8t wasn"t 9ust a suit it was thesuit.,onal! barely manage! to keep from gasping. @irA he sai!.They !i!n"t e$en know his name. They simply calle! him Mister Suitin pri$ate an!

sirin public. They"! only met him twice the last time being two years ago.ister uit was in charge of e$erything. e"! ma!e the !eal fun!e! by the

go$ernment to locate ason in >ingling. e"! put the team together ha! the lab builtkept the money flowing to >ingling in e;change for housing the teenager for nine years.

They sent him reports an! !ata e$ery week. They barely ha! correspon!ence withhim. Now he was there sitting in %oc"s office.

ister uit was an appropriate name. e was immaculately !resse!. # customthreepiece suit silk tie black !ress shoes. %oc coul!n"t spot a single wrinkle. e

guesse! ister uit was in his forties with a full hea! of thick blon! hair.e e;ten!e! his han! an! rose from his seat.@%octor ,ierson. %octor *ullerA he greete!.%oc sai! nothing. ,onal! trie! not to stutter.@irA he sai!. @>ou shoul! ha$e tol! us you were coming. /e woul!n"t ha$e kept

you waiting.Auit 9ust wa$e! his han! !ismissi$ely an! sat back !own. %oc sat behin! his !esk.

,onal! ha! no choice but to sit ne;t to uit. %oc coul! see the sweat bea!ing on hisfrien!"s forehea!.

@GentlemenA uit sai!. @8t"s been a long time.A@>es it hasA %oc sai!. @/hat can we !o for you3Auit leane! back an! crosse! his legs. @8 want to see for myself what we"re

in$esting in. Euite frankly 8"m ha$ing trouble rea!ing the reports you sen! me.A%oc almost narrowe! his eyes. e knew uit must ha$e ha! 9ust as many people

outsi!e his own office interpreting e$erything they sent.@/ellA ,onal! sai! before %oc coul! open his mouth an! get them in trouble. @The

work is progressing beautifully. /e"re much further along than we e$er thought we"! get.A@Can the sub9ect control his pro9ections yet3A uit aske!.,onal!"s shoul!ers slumpe!. @Not yet. Not without a healthy !ose of the Cocktail.A@Cocktail3A@# little morphine lora4epam a touch of 4olpi!emA

@%rugsA uit interrupte!. @>ou gi$e him !rugs.A%oc cleare! his throat. @>es. There"s a slight problem. e"s starting to buil! atolerance to the !rug. is pro9ections are getting shorter an! he"s ha$ing trouble focusingwhen he"s ha$ing them. e claims he no longer pro9ects in his sleep but we can"t reallypro$e that. /e ha$e to impro$e the !rug if we want better results.A

uit merely no!!e!. @/hat are his limits3 ow far can he go3A@No limits sir.A@=;cuse me3A%oc was irritate!. %i! uit not rea! any of the reports they sent3 e pulle! out a

notepa! an! pen. @/hen ason min! sli!esA,onal! wince! as uit hel! up a han!. Those were wor!s %oc shoul! ha$e been

smart enough not to say.ason an! min! sli!e.They learne! years ago that ason was simply the subject.


12/23

#n! min! sli!e that was something else entirely.@8 !on"t really nee! to hear his name %octor ,iersonA uit sai!.%oc hesitate! only for a moment then spoke more slowly. @/hen ason min!

sli!es he can focus on a place or person. Gi$e him an a!!ress complete with 4ip co!ean! he can min! sli!e within one hun!re! feet of that !estination. Gi$e him a person"sname an! it"s the same thing. #ccurate to within one hun!re! feet. There are no limits

sir. e"s min! sli! all o$er the worl!.A e scribble! a 7uick a!!ress an! han!e! it o$er.@That"s the a!!ress of a test site we use! in ?apan. Gi$e ason the Cocktail let him focuson the a!!ress an! he"s there within minutes.A

8t was ob$ious uit wasn"t please! with %oc"s attitu!e but was intrigue! at thepossibilities. e leane! forwar!.

@# person"s name3 /hat if 8 ask him to fin! ?ohn mith3A@%o you know a ?ohn [email protected]@Then it woul!n"t work. /e !on"t know how he !oes it oursel$es. 8"m sure he

!oesn"t e$en know. But if his min! can"t 4ero in on a name especially a $ery commonname then he nee!s a picture to go with it. But if youask him to fin! ?ohn %oe an! you

know?ohn %oe he"ll fin! him no problem.A%oc coul! see the e;citement in uit"s eyes.@Can we gi$e the sub9ect a set of coor!inates. atitu!e an! longitu!e. /oul! that

work like an a!!ress3A%oc shrugge!. @/e honestly !on"t know. /e can certainly work that in the testing

sche!ule.Auit ha! the hint of a smile. @in! sli!e3A,onal! spoke up. @That"s the term a...the sub9ect came up with. 8t"s kin! of

caught on aroun! the lab. =$eryone thinks it soun!s real cool.A@>eah. VerycoolA uit sai!. e leane! back in his chair an! stu!ie! both !octors.

@8 hear! the sub9ect got in a fight to!ay. 8t"s nothing a check or two can"t fi;. But 8 ha$e toask what is the problem here3A

%oc"s eyes went wi!e his mouth running before ,onal! coul! stop him.@=;cuse me sir3A@%oes the sub9ect ha$e problems we shoul! know about3 /e can"t ha$e him

running aroun! assaulting mental health patients.A%oc laughe! @That"s a 9oke right3A,onal! wince!.@8"m not known for my humor %octor ,ierson.A@e lost his parents when he was fi$e. e can"t e$en remember them. e"s been

here since he was se$en playing guinea pig for us. /e"$e !one things to that boy that

shoul! haunt us the rest of our li$es. %o you think any of that might ha$e something to !owith his outburst to!ay3 e stoo! up for himself. 8"m proud of ason an! not 9ustbecause of his ability to min! sli!e.A

There was at least fifteen secon!s of silence as %oc an! uit stare! at each other.uit looke! !own at his cell phone an! answere! a te;t message. e trie! to act

casual like %oc"s attitu!e !i!n"t bother him. #ll three men knew that was the furthest fromthe truth.

@>ou an! your team ha$e !one e;cellent workA he finally sai!. @8"m $ery e;cite!about what the sub9ect an! his mind slidinghol!s for the future. %octor ,ierson this isyour team your pro9ect an! you can run it howe$er you want. #s long as 8 get my results.But 8 feel you may be getting too emotionally in$ol$e! with the sub9ect an! you will ha$e to

reme!y that. n!erstoo!3A%oc opene! his mouth to speak. e wante! to say that ason !espite his

ama4ing abilities was a si;teenyearol! boy. e !i!n"t know ason"s place in the worl!


13/23

but certainly it shoul!n"t be insi!e a mental health center.But %oc knew he was replaceable an! who knew what his replacement woul! be

capable of.@n!erstoo!.Auit let out a smile. @-kay then. 8"! like a tour of the lab an! the wing if you !on"t

min!. Then we"ll get lunch. -n me of course.A

The three men rose to lea$e. /hen uit took the lea! ,onal! wipe! his forehea!.%oc brought up the rear trying not to laugh at him.

None of them were aware the min! of ason Thomas sat in the corner listening toe$ery wor! they sai!.


14/23

Chapter 3

+elly ,ierson pace! back an! forth near the bleachers as the onehun!re!meter!ash went un!erway. he lo$e! to run lo$e! practice after school. 8t ga$e her somethingto !o an! time to catch up with her frien!s.

But she hate! the !ay of a track meet.There was the an;iety all throughout the !ay. he coul! barely concentrate on any

class. /hen she manage! to think of something else for a minute or two a frien! woul!show up asking her if she was rea!y to run her ass off.

There were the ri!iculous uniforms. /hen she first slippe! one on in ninth gra!eshe thought it was some kin! of 9oke. # re! tank top with white shorts that a stripper woul!be prou! of. =$en the guys ha! to wear them.

he !i!n"t feel like she was ugly. he ha! !ark re! hair an! sparkling green eyes.he was certain =ric ?ohnston was going to ask her out any !ay now. e always stare! ather in algebra. But she ha! a light comple;ion she trie! to co$er up as much as possible.?ust ten minutes in the sun an! she woul! burn to a crisp. /hen she wore her re$ealing

uniform she felt like a bottle of milk running across the track.Coach /alker looke! up from his clipboar! an! spotte! +elly hi!ing in her usualspot by the bleachers.

@+elly6A he calle!. @The twomile is ne;t. >ou warme! up an! stretche!3Ahe no!!e! annoye! at her hair rubbing the back of her neck. he pulle! it back

in a ponytail.he walke! up ne;t to the track as the last heat for the onehun!re!meter starte!.

he coul!n"t wait to get the run o$er with. er frien! Tina 9oine! her. Tina was one ofthose girls that ma!e any uniform look goo!. Tan bo!y nice breasts shapely legs. +ellyga$e her an en$ious look.

@>ou gonna beat me to!ay3A Tina aske! with a smile.

@8 !on"t care. 8 9ust want to get un!er twel$e minutes.ATina laughe!. @8f you !o that you"ll beat me.A+elly glance! aroun! the stan!s. There were other teenagers parents teachers

little brothers an! sisters e$en some college scouts.he !i! not see her father.Not surprising but she was still upset. e sai! he"! make itpromisedhe"! make it.

No !oubt he was at work as always with that boy ason.he trie! not to feel hatre! at the thought of the boy"s name but it was !ifficult. he

!i!n"t know much about ason e;cept that he was in a mental health hospital. /hene$er+elly nee!e! her father ason ha! his attention. +elly woul! come home from schoolmake !inner for the both of them only to hear he alrea!y ate at the hospital with ason.

/hen she broke up with her first boyfrien! last year she !esperately wante! to talk withher father. The only thing he wante! to talk about was how much progress ason wasmaking.

he coul! un!erstan! why om left him when she was a baby.he sighe! as she watche! the bleachers. No family no frien!s to cheer her on

like always.er breath caught in her chest as her eyes fell on =ric ?ohnston.e sat alone on top of the bleachers with his elbows resting on his knees scanning

the fiel!. e ran a han! through his hair. +elly thought she woul! faint.he 7uickly turne! back towar! the track an! trie! to breathe slow an! stea!y.Tina put a han! on her shoul!er. @#re you okay3A@=ric is here.ATina turne! to see for herself. he let out a smile. @>ou"! better run fast to!ay

then.A he gesture! to the starting line. @/e"re up.A


15/23

+elly an! Tina were the only girls from their school entere! in the twomile run.There were about fifteen other girls from !ifferent schools. +elly still felt like e$ery eye wason her. he trie! to !isappear in between the other girls all bunche! up at the startingline. +nowing =ric was in the stan!s ma!e her want to $omit.

The starter gun fire! an! the race was on.+elly starte! out strong like she always !i!. #fter a half mile she ha! a soli!

secon! place position. he mentally slappe! herself as she approache! the en! of milenumber one. he was too worrie! about the other runners a weakness she always ha!.he sometimes struggle! to focus on herself an! her own time.

he stole a glance at =ric as she finishe! another lap.o much for focusing./ith two laps to go something surprising happene!. The lea! runner starte! to

slowly fa!e back. he coul!n"t keep up the pace she starte!. +elly knew it wasn"t a big!eal to finish first. The ultimate goal was to beat her time from the last meet.

till it felt great to cross the line ahea! of e$eryone else.he imme!iately went to the si!e to stay out of the other runners" way. Coach

/alker always tol! the runners to keep walking after a race ne$er 9ust stop !ea!. +elly

ne$er followe! that a!$ice. he leane! o$er her han!s on her knees gasping for breath.Coach /alker put an arm aroun! her shoul!ers an! leane! !own with her.

@That was a great run. >ou okay3Ahe no!!e! an! pointe! to her lungs then at her wrist. Coach un!erstoo! an!

looke! at his stopwatch.@=le$en fiftyoneA he sai! with a smile. @>ou 9ust ma!e it.ATina finishe! thirty secon!s behin! +elly. he crosse! the line an! 9oine! her frien!

near the bleachers.@%i! you finish first3A Tina sai! between breaths.+elly smile! an! no!!e!.@o lucky.AThey both laughe!.+elly looke! up to the bleachers. ,an!om people she recogni4e! from school

clappe! an! cheere! at her. 8t was a feeling she wasn"t 7uite use! to.er moo! fell when she saw her father still wasn"t there.


16/23

meet was officially o$er. -ther schools" runners climbe! into their buses while e$eryoneelse starte! to gather the hur!les an! pa!s. ome track meets were terrible.

@%o you want a ri!e home3A Tina aske!.+elly shook her hea!. No !oubt another reason she coul!n"t catch =ric"s eye. he

coul!n"t !ri$e.@Nah. y father will be here. ?ust forty hours late like he always is. #n! he"ll throw

a fit if 8"m not here to hear his apology.ATina laughe!. @That"s weir!.A@Tell me about it. Thanks anyway.ATina put a han! on her frien!"s shoul!er. @#re you gonna be okay3A+elly felt her eyes welling up with tears but she somehow wille! them away. he

!i!n"t ha$e a lo$e life or a family life. he coul! !eal with it most !ays but seeing hercrush kiss a girl she coul!n"t compete with was almost more than she coul! take.

@>eah 8"m fine Tina. 8"ll see you tomorrow.A


17/23

Chapter 4

ason was in the mi!!le of his first goo! !ream in months. e was in the mathclass of the high school he $isite! a few !ays earlier. e was 9ust a stu!ent taking notesan! answering 7uestions. The pretty soccer player that sat in front of him was gettingrea!y to ask him out on a !ate when he felt a strong han! on his shoul!er.

@ason6 /ake up.Ae moane! in !isgust an! sat up in be!. e rubbe! at his eyes an! looke! at the

clock on the nightstan!.The man leaning o$er him was still a blur but he !i!n"t nee! $ision to recogni4e

who it was.@Three in the morning %oc3A@8 know ason. urry up an! get !resse!. >ou know how we like to keep

challenging that brain of yours keep it offbalance!.Aason put on a pair of white sweatpants an! a white tee shirt. #t least he !i!n"t

ha$e to wear the ri!iculous gown for a night e;periment. The only people cruising the

halls woul! be security.@8 hate night e;periments.A@The sooner we get going the sooner it"ll be o$er with.A%oc grippe! his arm tightly an! le! him out of his room. ason struggle! to keep

up with the tall !octor all while ha$ing his arm pulle! abo$e him.@h %oc 8 know where the lab is. No reason to rip my arm off.A%oc barely slowe! !own.ason"s breath hitche! as fear o$erwhelme! him. %oc was acting o!!.This was going to be apainfulnight e;periment.e trie! to stay strong. e won!ere! what it woul! be this time. ubmerge! in

free4ing water3 tuck like a pincushion all o$er his bo!y3 ung upsi!e !own3

@ook %oc is this about the fight the other !ay3 8 sai! 8 was sorry.A%oc was 7uiet.There was no security. They sa$e! all the painful e;periments for night. e trie! to

prepare mentally for whate$er they ha! in min! for him.e was surprise! when %oc unlocke! the lab with a key. That was unusual. /ere

the technicians an! !octors locke! insi!e3There were only more 7uestions as %oc opene! the lab an! turne! all the lights on.

There were no !octors no technicians. ason ha! ne$er seen the lab so 7uiet. Therewere always people running aroun! taking notes working on formula pecking away atcomputers. =specially aroun! e;periment time.

%espite the emptiness of the place ason"s eyes fell on the metal table in the

mi!!le of the lab. They trie! to !ress it up years ago with a pillow an! a little sheet. #to!!s with the pathetic attempt at comfort were monitors an! machines aroun! the table all!esigne! to let %oc an! his team get a glimpse of ason"s brain.

e hate! that table.@/hat"s going on3 /here is e$eryone3A%oc turne! on computers an! monitors. ason coul! see his han!s shaking

slightly. omething was $ery wrong.@This is a low key e;periment ason. %octor *uller is on his way in now. 8t"ll be

9ust [email protected]%oc ignore! ason"s outburst an! went to the refrigerator against the wall pulling

out $ial after $ial of the Cocktail. ason felt nauseous as his ner$es attacke! him. TheCocktail !i! a !ecent 9ob of keeping his ner$es stea!y while min! sli!ing but it left himconfuse! an! !isoriente! afterwar! sometimes e$en sick.


18/23

%octor ,onal! *uller walke! into the lab a cup of coffee in his han!. e wore9eans an! a light sweater much !ifferent than the lab coat ason always saw him in.

@8 swear #lbertA he muttere! un!er his breath. @>ou"! better ha$e a goo! reasonfor pulling me off my wifeA

e stoppe! when he saw the lab. e took a casual sip of his coffee an! raise! aneyebrow.

@orning guysA he sai!. e looke! at %oc who was still gathering Cocktail. @%i!you fire the team3 /hat is so important 8 !ro$e all the way in to see an empty lab3A

@?ust gi$e me a minuteA %oc sai! gathering some syringes. @8"ll e;plaine$erything.A

# $oice came through the phone on the corner !esk that also !ouble! as anintercom.

@%octor ,ierson3A8t was ,hon!a one of the nurses who worke! the night shift.@>eah 8"m here.A@There"s a police officer here to see you.A@Thank you ,hon!a. Coul! you show him to the lab please3A

There was a pause. @8"m not sure 8 can !o that.A@>ou !on"t ha$e to come in the lab. ?ust show him to the !oor.A@*ine.Aer $oice went silent. ,onal! ga$e the man he"! known for nearly twenty years a

har! stare.@>ou invitedsomeone to the lab3 # cop3 #re you out of your min!3Aason smile!. @aybe that chil! abuse call 8 put in fi$e years ago is finally gonna

go through.A%oc ga$e ason a glare.The police officer pushe! the lab !oors open. e looke! !own the hall still talking

to ,hon!a. he staye! far !own the en! of the hallway.@This is it here3 Thank you ma"am.A e took a step insi!e. @8"m -fficer Brian

ow!ryA,onal! was alrea!y mo$ing towar! him. @>es hello -fficer. This is all 9ust a big

mistake. >ou can"t really be in here. This is a highly classifie! area.Ae grabbe! the officer"s arm. Brian !i!n"t bu!ge. #nger flashe! across the cop"s

face.@>ou want to let go of my arm there #lfalfa3A,onal! lowere! his eyes an! remo$e! his han!. e sheepishly took a few steps

back.ason like! Brian alrea!y.

Brian ow!ry was a muscular man barely s7uee4ing into his police uniform.ason woul!n"t want to get on his ba! si!e. is blon! hair was cut $ery short almost tothe scalp. is ra!io s7uawke! with chatter as he glance! aroun! the lab. e turne! the$olume !own an! pulle! out a notepa!.

@/e !on"t normally make house calls but someone here knows my captainA hesai!. @8 was tol! to ask for %octor #lbert ,ierson.A

%oc carefully place! the syringes an! Cocktail on a tiny cart ne;t to the centertable. e raise! his han!. @That"s me.A

e locke! eyes with the !octor. @o3 /hat am 8 !oing here3A%oc slumpe! his shoul!ers an! stoo! ne;t to ason. @y !aughter"s been missing

for two !ays.A

@/hat3A ,onal! yelle!. @+elly"s missing3 #n! you"re 9ust noticing now3A%oc pace!. @8 misse! her track meet. 8 thought she was simply ma! at me staying

with a frien!. But 8 calle! an! she"s not there.A e looke! at ,onal! then ason. @y


19/23

little girl is missing.Aason hear! +elly"s name many times o$er the years but ha! ne$er actually seen

her. e !i!n"t know much about %oc"s life but picke! up enough clues to put some piecestogether.

%oc was a single father an! wasn"t $ery close with his !aughter. e spent moretime at work than with her. e lo$e! her of course an! always talke! about how she !i!

in school. But it seeme! there was always tension between [email protected] Brian starte! scribbling notes. @#re you sure there is nowhere else she can

be3 >ou"$e calle! all her frien!s3 #ny other family3A@8"m her only family. 8 !on"t know all her frien!s but she hasn"t been in school the

last two !ays. That"s not like her.A,onal! stoo! ne;t to his frien!. ason took the opportunity to back away from

e$eryone.@ook -fficerA ,onal! sai!. @8f #lbert says his !aughter is missing then his

!aughter is missing.ABrian was silent for a moment. ason watche! the officer stu!ying e$erything

aroun! him. e looke! e;hauste! an! irritate!.

@-kay. 8"ll ha$e to ask you some 7uestions. 8f you"$e got a picture of her a lastknown location that woul! be helpful. /e"ll put out an #


20/23

@8n 9ust a few minutes 8"ll know where +elly is. ou"$e got fi$e minutes.Aason no!!e!.,onal! finishe! applying the last of the sensors. %oc reache! for a syringe of

Cocktail.@NoA ason sai!. @None of that crap.A%oc frowne!. @ason 8"m sorry but you need this. /e"re gonna nee! a strong

soli! pro9ection.A@8 !on"t nee! the Cocktail %oc.A That !rew ,onal!"s attention as well. The two

!octors stare! at ason. @8 ha$en"t nee!e! it in years.A%oc gently place! the syringe on the cart. @/hat else ha$en"t you tol! me3AThe corner of ason"s mouth lifte! slightly. @8 9ust nee! music. Classical music.A%oc"s brow furrowe!. @/hat3A@Classical music.A e looke! at ,onal! making the re7uest of him. @o4art

Beetho$en Chopin is4t anything. 8t rela;es me.A

ason was surprise! when ,onal! actually went to a ra!io on someone"s !esk an!starte! browsing through stations. The !octor pause! when he foun! a soothingorchestra.

@That"s goo!.A e felt empowere!. They were listening to him for a change. eclimbe! up on the table an! took a !eep breath trying to rela;. e pointe! to the corneroffice on the opposite si!e from %oc"s ma!e completely of glass win!ows. They use! itto monitor him in pri$ate !uring min! sli!es. @%on"t go in there. 8 want to hear e$erythingyou"re saying.A

@>ou got itA %oc sai!. e mo$e! to sit at a !esk to watch sensor rea!outs.ason clutche! his arm. @%oc there"s 9ust one more thing.A@Name it.Ais features softene!. @


21/23

an! o$er to himself while keeping her track picture up on the screen in his min!.e felt the be! fall away from un!er him.


22/23

Chapter 5

ason slowly opene! his eyes although he still coul!n"t see much. is senses ofhearing an! smell slowly caught up with the rest of him. e coul! make out a faint outlineof a tree in front of him. e hear! crickets an! lea$es rustling all aroun! him. There was aslight bree4e at his back. The scent of nature touche! his nose.

e was in the woo!s.@ason are you okay3A %oc aske!.The $oice was right ne;t to him like %oc was in the woo!s with him.e no!!e! an! imme!iately felt silly. is bo!y was still in the lab. 8t was only his

min! that ha! taken a trip.e looke! at his han!s an! coul! barely see them in the !arkness. 8t was a habit

he !e$elope! a long time ago. e always thought it was strange that !uring a min! sli!ehe actually thought he ha! a bo!y.

@>eah %oc 8"m here.Ae hear! ,onal!. e coul! hear e$erything in the lab as well as the woo!s aroun!

him. 8t took many min! sli!es to get use! to that.@This is ama4ing. is $itals are all stea!y. Not a single spike.A@That"s not important now ,onal!. ason what !o you see3 Be aware.Ae wince!. Be aware. e hate! when they sai! that. 8t always felt like they were

trying to program a robot.But they !i! succee! o$er the years. e ha! the use of all fi$e of his senses an! a

memory that !efie! e;planation. e was $ery goo! at being aware.@Gi$e me a secon!A he sai!.e !escribe! the woo!s aroun! him as the rela;ing music !ance! in his ears. e

coul! ne$er get a goo! feel for temperature but there was a persistent bree4e. The treeswere thick an! !ense. e !i!n"t hear traffic of any kin!. The moon peeke! from behin!

the clou!s e$ery so often pro$i!ing some light. 8t was $ery peaceful $ery lonely.@%o you see +elly3ABrian interrupte!. @/ait a minute. #re you trying to tell me the ki! is psychic3 e

can ben! spoons an! crap like that3A@ush6Aason looke! all aroun! him. is heart sank. e ha! the feeling +elly"s !ea! bo!y

wasn"t too far away an! he woul! !rag his foot right through her. e wasn"t sure if hecoul! han!le that.

@8 !on"t see +elly anywhere. But waitAThere was a break in the woo!s up ahea!. e walke! forwar! not e$en bothering

to mo$e aroun! the trees. e walke! through them feeling the bark an! sap as he

passe! through each one. e stoppe! when the trees came to an en!.There was a !irt path large enough for a $ehicle.-ne !irection le! !eeper into the woo!s. The other le! to a house.e took a breath an! slowly approache! using the !irt roa!. e ma!e sure to

narrate e$erything he saw. 8t was still !ifficult to see but the house looke! to be in goo!shape. 8t still ha! all its win!ows an! a wraparoun! porch. The win! blew the frontscreen !oor back an! forth. The house was completely !ark. e wasn"t e$en sure if therewas any electricity. There were no cars. e !i!n"t see or hear anyone especially a prettyteenage! girl.

@Bloo! pressure is going up slightlyA ,onal! announce!.@/oul!n"t yours3A ason sai!. @8"m in the mi!!le of the haunte! forest here.A@No ason only your min! isA %oc sai! stating the ob$ious. @Nothing there can

hurt you. There"s nothing to be afrai! of.A@ow many times ha$e you all min! sli!3 None3 o maybeA


23/23

ason went 7uiet as he stoppe! near the steps lea!ing to the porch. There was apu!!le of something in front of him.

# thick !ark something.8t traile! away from the house in a thin line before !isappearing !own the path. e

knelt !own an! ran a han! through the pu!!le. 8t was thick an! warm.e took a !eep breath knowing what he ha! to !o ne;t.

@ason3 Talk to me.A@?ust hol! on a sec.Ae repeate! to himself as he mo$e! his lips closer to the pu!!le. e wasn"t really

tastingit. But he ha! to put his tongue to it ha! to simulate the act of tasting in or!er forhis sense of taste to process.

8t ne$er got any easier.e stuck his tongue in the pu!!le.e wretche! an! gagge!. is bo!y must ha$e !one the same in the lab as he felt

a han! on his forehea!.@ason3 #re you okay3A@Bloo! pressure is still going up.A

@8"m okay 8"m okay. There"s a huge pu!!le in front of the house. 8t"s not bloo!.otor oil maybe3 8"m not sure. 8t"s warm.A

@That means a car was there. %o you see a mailbo; of any kin!3 -r housenumbers by the !oor3A

@No mailbo;. et me take a peek at the !oorA@

mind slide sample

Documents