That look

Meena struggled against the bracers around her wrists and ankles. Her eyes were wide and she would be making noises for help but a lump of fear had formed in her throat, cutting off her voice. Not that she thought anyone would hear her through the tape on her mouth and closed door, or that she even wanted anyone in this place to hear her. She didn't want the attention of any more people that were like the scientist who was staring at her fiendishly as if she were some pitiless object only useful for experimentation.

The man shuffled over to the rolling computer desk and picked up a clipboard, eyeing it carefully while occasionally glancing at Meena. Her heart almost beat out of her chest when he walked over to the table she was laying on, which was made clear by the fast-paced beeping of a machine next to her. Without warning, the man stretched her eyelids open and shone an obnoxious flashlight into her eyes, one after the other. Then, he checked a few of the monitors around her and wrote something down on his clipboard before sitting back down at the desk.

Meena didn't know what to do. She was completely helpless. She was in Chronos, the research facility that secretly chased after natural-born power holders for illegal testing. Meena didn't know exactly why they wanted them, but considering the lengths to which the company would go to get them, it couldn't be anything good. This was exactly what her family had been running from for as long as she could remember and now here she was, living out their nightmares. Nobody who was taken by Chronos had ever been seen again. It was only assumed that they either died, or were taken prisoner. Power holders couldn't go to the police because Chronos was rich enough to buy them out and they couldn't go to the media because Chronos was powerful enough to wipe away any evidence. Running and hiding was the only option for those that were targeted.

Though she was shaking with fear, Meena noticed that the man was not touching the keyboard or the mouse at the clunky computer. But she heard the noises emanating from the computer's speakers as if it was still being navigated. The man's eyes flitted across the screen and Meena could see the light radiating from it that shined on his face was changing every so often. This man was definitely using the computer without PHYSICALLY using it.

And that man had also touched Meena's face.

Meena's mom had told her that Meena could use a power from ANY person that she touched. She just had to learn how to utilize it! Which… was really hard. It took Meena so long (YEARS) to learn how to use her mother's power and that's the only one she managed to control thus far.

Suddenly, the man was beside her again, cutting her thoughts off as he pulled medical gloves on. He used a cold, wet cloth to wipe her arm, then swiftly inserted a needle in, slowly drawing blood out. Meena yelped in pain but the noise was muffled thanks to the tape. After about a minute, the scientist removed the needle and bandaged her arm carelessly before scooping up a tray of everything he had just used and exiting the room.

Meena didn't waste any time. Moments after the door shut, she tried to focus on the computer. The screen was turned off now so she couldn't see what he had been doing. She concentrated on willing the screen to turn on. Just that. For hours and hours, Meena directed all of her energy into the computer screen until she was out of energy and unknowingly fell asleep.

She awoke again to the sound of the door slamming shut. She had no idea what time it was. There were no clocks or windows in this room and the only source of light came from the glaring, artificial flood lights above. As she flinched and blinked away the blinding lines in her eyes, she noticed the man had returned to the desk. She watched him carefully as a small green light on the computer's tower lit up. The screen turned on and the scientist again began to navigate it while his clammy hands clutched a clipboard and pen. He was squinting and seemed frustrated now as he tapped his pen on the desk rhythmically. His eyebrows furrowed every time he peered over at Meena. Then, he sat there in silence just thinking. Meena could almost see the gears turning in his head until his eyebrows shot up and he shuffled hurriedly out of the room.

Alone again, Meena tried a different approach this time after studying the scientist's use of the computer further. She focused on starting up the computer tower instead of the screen itself. After about half an hour of intense mental strain, the small green light lit up on the tower and Meena was ecstatic (although she couldn't show it on her face because the tape was now pulling at her skin painfully every time she moved). The bulky monitor flashed and loaded up to a page that asked for a password. Meena's heart sunk into her stomach, then rapidly leapt back up again as she heard the sound of click-clacking coming towards her door. She quickly willed the computer to turn off and the screen showed some loading dots as the door handle turned. Just as the door opened, the screen went dark. But Meena's heart and the beeping machine beside her were still going crazy.

The person who entered was a woman. A very tall, gorgeous woman with black hair pulled into a ponytail, gray eyes and a perfectly straight nose. Though she looked like a model in her mid-twenties, her face was somewhat warm and comforting. Especially after Meena was used to only seeing the scientist's vile face for… a day? Two days? Meena had no idea how long.

The woman rolled the desk chair over to the specimen table and sat down so that she was now eye-level with Meena. She reached out and swiftly ripped the tape off of Meena's face, causing Meena to cry out in pain as her face throbbed. Then, the woman sat back against the chair and crossed her long legs, smiling at Meena with pity in her eyes.

After a couple minutes, the woman finally spoke. "My name is Regina." Meena only blinked at her in response, so Regina continued in a heavily accented voice. "May I know your name?" she pressed.

Meena shook her head no.

Regina chuckled slightly and gestured to the table that Meena was strapped onto. "I can't say that I blame you. You must be terrified." She reached out to touch Meena's cheek but the girl flinched away from her hand. Regina sighed. "I'm going to be completely honest with you, because I am a terrible liar anyway. I was sent down here to talk to you. Because although you are most definitely a child of two people born with abilities, you don't seem to have… well, ANY powers. At all."

Meena blinked at Regina again, this time processing her words carefully. They thought that Meena didn't have powers? This… was actually great. This might be an advantage for Meena! Meena still stayed silent, since silence was working out well for her so far.

Regina sighed again. "If that's true, then they don't have any use for you. But I don't think they will let you go either, considering what you've seen here. I'm afraid of what they might do to you now."

Meena bit her lip, then swallowed hard before she choked out some words. "Where is my mom?"

This earned Meena another look of pity from Regina. Which couldn't mean anything good, could it? Meena hated that look. "Your family, they're… in a similar situation as you," was all that Regina grimly responded with.