Chapter 5 MINDREADER

Mal wakes up to Vikram quietly watching her in bed.

As soon as he sees her eyes flutter open, however, the man checks her temperature one last time and leaves the room without a word. Leaving her alone again - just as she's been during the past six, almost seven, years. But it's different this time.

"Sunlight," she says to herself, looking at the bright light coming in from behind the curtain. It creates random shapes on the floors. Beautiful.

She tries to get to her feet, but her legs have no strength to support her weight. And when her body falls to the ground, she realizes neither do her arms.

The thought of calling out for help crosses her mind but talking hurts. Swallowing hurts and breathing hurts. And moving... Well, moving is a whole new level of hurting.

I really wanted to see it, Mal laments in her mind. Working hard on not crying out in pain as she tries to drag herself towards the window.

You are so pathetic, again. The only warning Mal ever gets before she makes her presence known is an irritating scratching at the back of her mind. If you want to go into the light like some stupid insect, keep some of your dignity. Get. On.

Your. Feet.

I would if I could. Mal rolls her eyes.

Why can't you? We're still breathing and nothing feels broken. They pause for a moment. Maybe I should give it a try.

Don't you dare, Mal runs out of air with the smallest effort. She hasn't moved more than a couple of feet and her vision is already beginning to blur.

Oh, come on, the one in her head taunts. Mal's body suddenly begins to move on its own. It will be fun. And it will only hurt as much as it usually does.

She groans painfully. Getting on her feet makes her whole body feel like it's covered in stabs. Every vein in her body feels lit up in flames, while her limbs are stuck in a state of numbness and searing pain all at once.

Look and behold, Mal, they say excitedly. The warm light you've been dreaming about for so long. She chuckles.

It feels more comforting than I remembered, she thinks. Feeling her consciousness fading fast. Thank you.

The last thing she hears this time is the sound of something metallic hitting a solid surface. Then her body hit the floor as a deep soothing voice calls out to her.

Like silent lightning. Mal thinks.

Warm hands touch her face; searching.

No. Not warm. Burning hot.

You can feel its power, the voice in her head sings with a chuckle. But you can never hear it roaring until it's too late.

Her pulse remained weak and fast. It was almost nonexistent when he first checked after getting her back to the room and she had barely been breathing. Now her skin was so cold that it was hard to believe she was still alive.

Vikram checks the blood bag connected to her arm by a tube. It would still take some time before she

could fully recover, and maybe one whole day for her to actually wake up. Maybe more.

"Did you find out who did this?" V's voice is heavy with anger. Partially because Mal managed to pick his interest enough to have him want to get to know more about her and her past; she became a puzzle he was looking forward to solving.

Now, Vikram might have gone astray as a doctor, but he was still one of the best. And whatever had been done to Malva between pickup and delivery, it had not been just some sedatives. In fact, it had been something so filthy he was trying his very best not to think about it; lest he does something extreme.

"Make sure to let me know," he concludes, still looking at the girl's bruised neck. "I want to deal with them on my own."

The silver-eyed male turns around to face the other doctor, who looks impassive. Vikram walks over to where Jimenez is standing and stops right in front of him. Finally, getting his partner's attention.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Jimenez asks, shaking his head a little. "Is she going to make it? We need her."

"Were you aware of what was done to her while she was sedated? Was it part of your plan?" Vikram fixes the man with pure disgust. "Is this the type of monstrosity you've been doing in the hospital? Did you do this to the other boys too?"

Louis just stands there in confused silence. Looking like he hasn't the slightest idea of what V is talking about.

"What do you mean?" Jimenez asks, furrowing his brows.

"A pulmonary contusion and bruises on her thighs and neck," Vikram crosses his arms. He searches Louis's face for any signs he might have been involved in the event - the doctor himself refuses to even think about it or give it a name - but finds none. V didn't examine Malva's condition that far, but one didn't need much creativity to imagine what could have happened while she was unconscious. "Even if you were not aware, it's clear your residents did it."

Jimenez looks at the girl for a moment, and then he looks around with a strange expression on his face.

They're in Laura's room, Vikram recalls. That alone is probably more than enough to make the other man curious, he thinks as he observes his research partner. No. Curious isn't quite the right word to describe it... Maybe surprised. Or even concerned.

"I really have no idea what you are talking about, but you definitely shouldn't let her walk around the house so freely," Louis reasons, bluntly. "I might not have had much contact with her while she was in the hospital, but I remember her hostility clearly. Malva's temperament can be unpredictable. And after asking around a bit I found there was this... odd thing about her..."

"Odd...thing... Could you be any vaguer?" Vikram repeats, unimpressed. The word feels strange on his lips. It almost tickles. He looks at Malva's unconscious form. That isn't so surprising.

The girl is not normal, that much is so, so clear. But she also couldn't be underestimated.

Malva ignored the pain of her broken ribs, and even acted like nothing was even happening while internally bleeding. No matter how Vikram looked at the situation he couldn't help but be amazed.

She played with him. Talked about his past as if she had been there, which isn't possible. So there is clearly something wrong. Completely out of place.

Still, odd isn't the word he'd choose to describe her.

"She told me there are people suspecting you; us, at the hospital," Vikram says contemplatively. "Have you been found out? Did you mention anything somewhere she could have heard you? It could be a reason why your residents would do this to her; if they realized she knew something she shouldn't know."

Louis looks torn between displeasure and anxiety as he thinks of an answer. He mumbles something inaudible before finally speaking;

"I really don't appreciate that you keep suggesting I did something to her while she was unconscious. I wasn't even aware of her injuries until now. It wasn't me." He states. "And no, I never mentioned anything. None of the nurses or residents that have been assisting us would have known that management has been keeping a close eye on me. Finding Malva was a strike of luck, and choosing her was more out of necessity than actual free will."

Vikram doesn't say anything, so Jimenez continues.

"I got into contact with the last psychiatrist responsible for miss Malva just a few days ago. They claimed she was beyond help and that was why they gave up on treating her. Said no one would take her as a patient after he dropped her; there had been too many attempts and at least four other doctors had already declined... They called her the mindreader. Obviously, I didn't believe it was true, and didn't, even for a second, think about the secrets I had to keep." Jimenez laughs humorlessly. "I didn't think something like this could actually exist. So I met with her, unprepared."

Vikram looks at the doctor in disbelief.

"Are you suggesting this girl actually reads people's minds?" V sounds almost offended.

"Do you have a better explanation as to how she knew the information I still had to share even with you?" Louis gestures widely towards Mal's sleeping form. "I had never even seen her face to face until we came to deliver her to you. Not even once. But from what you told me, she knew everything."

Jimenez walks over to the bed, stopping just a few feet away. He looks at Mal's face for a moment and then at the visible bruises around her neck. Vikram watches his every move cautiously.

"Do you want to know what the last thing her last doctor told me was?" Louis turns around to face Vikram. "He said it was impossible to try and get into her head when she knew what you were planning before you even had a full plan. She manipulated almost every single one of those who tried to treat her. And even when they tried to make a case to have her studied somewhere, she changed her behaviour and made them all look like fools."

Both men stare at each other in silence for a long moment, before Vikram decides to speak first;

"That is very interesting."

"I was thinking something more along the lines of "dangerous", maybe? Either way, she is the perfect candidate for CORTEX. If we get to find out how her mind works, then we definitely can work on any mind." Jimenez smirks. He points at the girl behind him and continues, "Think about all the things we could do with a mind like hers- Its, powering up the CORTEX. Think of all the new possibilities."

"So she's 'it' now?" Is the only thing Vikram has to say before Louis continues.

"Yeah, it. After all, can she really be considered human? Being able to do the things she does, I don't think so." Louis goes back to his spot by the room's entrance. "Look, as soon as I knew she had faked her own death to escape the hospital; as soon as I found out she was alive and near? I knew she would be the one to help us finish this project."

Jimenez looks at Vikram expectantly. Almost as if waiting for Vikram to actually give him some kind of compliment. But that doesn't happen, and the two stare at each other in silence while a dark smile slowly forms on Vikram's lips.

"I want you to bring me the ones who did this to her," he walks back to Mal's side without glancing at the doctor again. He knows Jimenez is frowning or making a shocked face while mentally cursing him - it's what he usually does. "I do believe Malva will indeed be a good addition to the CORTEX project. But after what you just told me regarding her hostility, I will likely need assistance keeping her under control during the tests."

Vikram notices how the bandages he had to put around her chest are already stained with blood again, and makes a mental note to test her blood for haemophilia later. He'll need to increase the amount of gauze there.

It took him almost two hours between draining the fluid inside her chest and fixing her up as best as he possibly could - with the equipment he had on hand - before her blood levels got almost critical. For a moment Vikram thought her heart might not make it. And he was forced to call Louis and have him bring a blood bag of her type.

Everything went considerably well - considering he had never worked on a living human before. Vikram just isn't too sure the stitches are tied right.

"How am I supposed to bring them here? You think they'll just come into a stranger's house to help torture some girl?"

"I'm sure you'll find a way to persuade them," Vikram says as he starts working on Malva's bandages again. "Tell them you have a job opportunity for them. I'm sure they'll come easily once you offer them a considerable amount of money."