Prologue
'You meet people who forget you. you forget people you meet. But sometimes you meet those people you can't forget. Those are your friends. -author unknown.
Agent Jason Gideon sat in the campus coffee shop sipping his tea and watching the birds absentmindedly. he had just been to an appointment with an old colleague today at the academy about doing a lecture to some students next month. He tore his eyes away from the birds and surveyed the students around him. all were chatting happily or poring over books. If only they knew the things his job required him to see...
His eyes wandered to the book store adjoining the small café. There was a girl at the checkout who looked to be in her late teens. He watched her as she payed for a large volume text-book, and left the store. As she made her way out, she opened the book, and flipped the pages so quickly she had reached the back of the book before she reached the exit. Gideon watched quizzically as she tossed the book in the trash on the way out. He stood up and made his way over to the strange girl, who was now sitting at a table, eyes closed and her lips moving quickly, soundlessly. He sat down across from her and she opened her eyes.
'Hello,' he said, "I am-"
She cut him off. "Agent Jason Gideon, Behaviourial Analysis Unit."
He smiled at the young girl, and he looked at her appraisingly. " May I ask your name then?" he asked her.
"Logan Michaels sir. I mean, Dr. Logan Michaels."
Gideon was shocked to hear the formality he used so much when introducing Spencer in front of this girl's name. She spoke again.
"Why does everyone always do that?"
Jason snapped out of his shocked ponderings and looked back up at young Logan, who smiled back.
"I was wondering why you threw out that book." he told her simply. She looked at him and laughed, a cheery tinkling that sounded like music.
"Well, sir, I don't need it anymore." she tapped her temple and explained further. 'I have a photographic memory. In seconds I committed every word of that book to it. The text is no longer of any use to me. Now, approximately 34% of the population can do this to some extent without realizing it, but they remember far less, much less often, and not as accurately." Gideon looked at the remarkable young girl in front of him.
"How old are you, Dr. Michaels?"
"Just turned 18 years old, 4 months, 3 weeks, 5 days, 17 hours and 42 minutes ago, Sir," she told him, looking at her watch. And please, don't call me Dr. It makes me sound old. He nodded, taking it all in. He figured nothing about this girl would surprise him anymore.
"And what are you studying here at the academy?"
"Nothing sir, I'm here lecturing students today." he had been wrong. This surprised him.
"What field do you work in, then?"
"Crimes against children sir,' she told him almost reluctantly. This caused him to chuckle. She continued, her tone beginning to become frustrated. .
"It is true, yes. I work with children everyday and yet up until recently I was legally still one myself. It is also true that more than 90% of the students I lectured today were on the upwards of at least 3 years older than me, but still..."
Gideon stopped laughing. He was completely intrigued by this small girl. He shook his head in wonder. "What subject Is your PhD in, Logan?" He asked her. She looked relieved by the fact that he had stopped laughing at her. And was glad for the change of paths in conversation.
" PhD's, sir. In the plural. In Criminology, sociology, psychology, and mathematics, as well as my law degree and bachelor's degrees in physics and bio-chemistry." she said all in one breath. Gideon again looked at this child in awe.
"Das wunderkind," he said under his breath.
"Pardon me?" she asked.
"Das wunderkind," he told her, louder this time. She smiled.
"German for ' The Wonder Child". . Mozart was known as wunderkind in his early days of fame in Salzburg, in the early 1760's." she told him, eager to share what she knew.
The two quickly finished their conversation, talking about nothing In particular, exchanged phone numbers, and Gideon bade the interesting young girl goodbye. But they would meet again, and agent Gideon, he wanted her talent. And agent Gideon did not often give up on what he wanted easily. He would walk to the edges of the earth if he had to. Because he had to have her.
But agent Gideon wasn't the only one who wanted young Logan Michaels. Someone watched them today. Watched her yesterday and will watch her tomorrow. And his intentions are much more sinister.