This is not a final copy and may still contain some technical or grammatical errors, please excuse them and read the story as intended, as entertainment. As always, enjoy!
Laura looked tired and unenthusiastic sitting in a cubical with several brain activity sensors attached to her head. One of The Institution’s mentors continued working with her trying their best to help her gain access to the spark and tap into its power. After a week and a day, the disappointment took a toll on both of them.
Her mentor Glen looked rather nerdy Laura thought. It must be the way he styles his short hair and the thick-rimmed glasses he wears. Although his physical build would not be typical for someone with that description. It’s hard for me to believe he is over forty when he doesn’t look any older than me.
“Laura,” he took off his nerdy glasses and tried to ease her mind, “it’s a new day. New chances for possibility. Today can be the day you find your spark, so think positive.”
Laura looked down at the floor, “Glen, how many times do we have to go through sitting here? How does The Institution even know I have the spark?”
“I can sense your spark,” Glen stated twirling his glasses between his fingers.
Quietly Laura asked, “How? How can you feel something like that?”
“It's like having a warm memory with someone even if you’ve never met before.” He chuckled. “That’s probably not as straightforward as you wanted to hear. Once you find your spark you’ll be able to sense it around you.” Glen gestured outside of the cubical and began his usual lecture, “A few of the people here have learned how to hide the energy that the spark gives off. Others don’t care who can sense their power. There is no place on Earth like this Institution, so for now, we are in no danger of being detected, though one of our leaders feel that we should learn to control the energy that the spark gives off now, in the chance that things did not go as planned and we became hunted.” Still as serious as ever he kept on, “I think he is just paranoid, but others take the possibility as a real Plan B. Some other select few just don’t want to be felt by their peers,” he shrugged. “Do you really want to spend this evening with questions or do you want to make some real progress Laura?”
Laura narrowed her eyes at him and he put his glasses back on. “Isn’t there some trick to doing this that you can just tell me?”
Glen let out a deep sigh. “We have been over this already.”
“I just don’t get how I am expected to do what I don’t understand,” Laura put her hands though her hair combing it with her fingers. “What exactly can you do anyways Glen?”
“I won’t tell you till you unlock your own spark,” he teased. “I’ll explain it to you again. One of the easiest things you can do with the spark is simple telekinesis like abilities. Just basic movement of objects, make a pen twitch, or explode a grape for example.”
“You really like to say explode a grape don’t you?” She leaned forward on the desk and bit her lip as she made fun of him.
Glen glared at Laura, “I’m growing tired of your needless conversations Laura. If you do not show progress very soon, you’re just going to be neutralized and studied. Do you want that?”
Leaning back in the chair she twisted her hair in with her index finger and slouched. “No.”
“Then take this as serious as I am and let’s get to work finding your spark,” he typed some things into the computer hooked up to Laura’s sensors. “You are not going to like this. Please realize I don’t want to see such a beautiful woman as you turn into an experiment.”
He looked deep into Laura’s eyes with a face made of stone. I don’t like that look at all. In movies that’s the kind of look a doctor gives when they are just about to jab you with an injection and say, “It’s for your own good.”
“I have never had to use this method before. It works for other mentors and I’m at my last straw with you.”
Laura started to speak but he continued talking. “I’m sorry Laura. I don’t know what else will help you focus on finding your spark.”
What is he talking about?
Glen tapped a key on the computer. Laura felt electricity enter her skull and she jumped in her chair yelping in pain.
She exhaled hard, and yelled at Glen. “What was that for?”
With a calm voice he said, “Shock therapy.”
“Why would you do something like that to me? That hurt!”
“That is the point of it. Your reaction to the shock won’t be a positive one and yet it will force you to focus on the pain and use your spark to make it stop,” he fell silent, “or to make me stop.” Glen walked around his desk and stood over Laura with a cold look in his eyes. The image of Lazarus flashed in her mind. Glen’s face shifted to resemble Lazarus’ shadowed eye sockets paired with the smile of sick delight he wore when he loomed over Magnis about to take his life.
Her heart skipped a beat and she screamed.
She tried to back away from the illusion her mind created except Glen reached forward and grabbed her wrist pressing it to the arm of the chair. He slid a panel, she hadn't noticed, and pressed a hidden button. Immediately a binding pushed its way out of the opposite side of the arm and latched itself around her wrist.
“What the hell are you doing? Stop this!” Laura yelled trying to avoid Glen as he went for her other arm. The sensors fell off her temples and landed on the ground.
Struggling with his pupil he said, “Laura please don’t resist, this is only going to help you. Please calm down. I promise I’m only trying to help you.” He grabbed onto her shoulders and seated her back into the chair. She stopped fighting him, sat down normal, and put her arm back onto the chair’s arm. Glen slid the panel and pressed the button. The clasp went over her wrist and held her in place.
Laura negotiated with big sad eyes. “Glen you don’t have to do this just let me out of these and I’ll work really hard. You’ll see I’ll find my spark. Please just let me go.”
“I think we are beyond debating this Laura,” he picked the sensors up and stuck them back on her. “I don’t care if you hate me for this but I think you’ll thank me for forcing your gift.”
He seated himself and gave Laura instructions. “Now concentrate on the pain, and do something about it.” He lowered his head gazing at her over the rim of his glasses, “Show me you have the power to resist.”
He pushed a key and Laura felt the shock again go through her body, stronger then the time before it. Her scream rang through the air.
I can’t do this. Magnis I miss you. I can’t do this it hurts too much. I want this to end.
“Glen stop this,” Laura pleaded after the shock ended.
“It's too late to stop now.” He pressed down on the key again sending another shock through her system.
Laura held in her scream and thought hard on the pain, she expected that concentrating on pain would be easy. As the electricity flowed through her, she failed to keep her focus.
Spark. Pain. Magnis. Spark. Magnis. Oh God Magnis I need you so much right now.
Glen raised his voice and scowled, “Laura you have to try harder!” He pushed the key again as soon as Laura stopped receiving the previous shock.
I have to resist screaming. The current jolt already presented her with a tremendous amount of pain and still the shocks got stronger and stronger. She wriggled and clenched her teeth in pain through the whole duration of the voltage.
Spark. Pain. Spark. Pain. Spark. Magnis. Magnis.
It ended and she gasped for breath, her whole body begged for it to stop.
“No... no more.” Glen ignored her words. He pressed the button again.
Laura screamed in agony arching her back.
Spark. Spark. Pain. Pain. Magnis… I am going to die. I’m going to die. Oh Magnis, I’m going to die… just like you.
Glen yelled at her at the top of his lungs standing up knocking his chair over. “Damn it Laura! Find your spark before this kills you!” The lights in the room flickered until the shock finished. Exhausted from the jolts Laura panted hard hanging her head, her long hair draped over her lap.
“I’m very disappointed in you Laura,” he went to push the button again.
Lazarus! I hate you! I hate you so much for what you made me do!
With his finger still on the key but not pressing it, Glen suddenly reacted as he felt a surge of energy around him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He glanced out of his peripheral vision at the brain activity machine in time to see it spike dramatically reading a critical error. At the same moment he noticed the reading Laura’s hair turned wild, she sat up strait in her chair, and her scream broke through the air.
Her scream did not hold a single trace of pain within it. Instead, she bellowed with rage and pure energy.
Glen had no time to react or even think as a wave of force washed over him like a monstrous ocean wave crashing over a rock. Her shockwave toppled him over his own chair with such intensity he crashing into the cubical wall breaking it open as he collided.
The shackles on Laura’s wrists flew off. The left one knocked a hole in the wall next to her and the other went flying over the adjacent wall.
Her hair floated down over her shoulders, she slumped forward.
Glen groaned on top of his cracked cubical wall with his desk items strew around him. He started to laugh hysterically. “That was it Laura! That was it!” Still half-laughing he muttered, “I… I need to see a doctor.”
Magnis… I’m so sorry for what I did.
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