Alright, so, this is only my second posted fanfic, so I should get some things straight first I suppose. First, the obligatory disclaimer. I own none of the characters from The 4400, I only own Claire and some of the secondary auxiliary characters that pop up over the course of the story.
Second, please read and review my story! I never got very much feedback for my first fic (although that which I did get was fabulous! Thanks to everyone!), and would welcome more. I know Fortyniner was laboriously slow in its progress, but I'm happy to say that this story is much more fully formed, so the updates should be fast in coming.
Third, I couldn't resist making Jordan Collier the baddie of my story. (Perhaps he's an ambiguous baddie with good intentions, but ultimately, the villain.) If that irks you then you might not want to read on.
Oh, and fourth? I could use some help on a title. The Experiment is too German-movie-about-volunteers-locked-in-a-prison-esque. Any help would be great!
Thanks and Enjoy!
Ursula
Chapter 1
"So you're Jordan's new secretary?"
She smiled wanly at him. "Personal assistant. He'll be out in just a moment."
"Right. Sorry about that."
Again, the thin smile, probably to get him to stop talking. Her condescension irked him. After all, Shawn had been moving about these offices freely for the past year, and this secretary expected him to take her directions? He considered the possibility that she just didn't know who he was; that she was unaware the important role he played at the Center as Jordan's second in command. Unlikely. Shawn didn't think Jordan would have gone to one of the local temp services to find Devon's replacement, but maybe this girl wasn't personally involved with the 4400 at all. He opened his mouth to set her straight.
"Mr. Farrell," she placed special emphasis on his name, as if she'd suspected his thoughts, and gestured toward the chairs in the corner of the anteroom, "If you want to have a seat over there, I'm sure Mr. Collier will be out to see you shortly." Cue the thin smile. "There are even some magazines over there you could take a look at if you'd like. I'm sure there's a back issue of GQ or Men's Health in there somewhere." She looked pointedly at his fitted shirt and pleated pants, the semi-uniform he had adopted upon coming to work at the Center.
Rude and sarcastic? It was too much to be borne. He raised what he thought was a threatening finger to put her in her place, but before he could get a word out, Jordan opened his office door and hailed Shawn.
"Sorry to keep you waiting Shawn. Bit of an important phone call. I see you've met Claire?"
"Claire? Oh, yeah, yes." He settled for glaring at her reproachfully, a look that wasn't lost on Jordan. "Claire, please hold all my calls while I'm in with Shawn, would you?"
"Of course." That was it. No back talk, no sarcastic tone. Not to Jordan. Shawn seethed as he followed Jordan into the office and shut the door.
"So what happened to Devon?"
"Devon will be taking an – ah – extended leave of absence. She found that she just wasn't well suited to the rigors of her position."
"The rigors of her position? Sure, Jordan. You sent her away, didn't you?"
"Now don't be so melodramatic, Shawn. I have placed Devon in the care of some of my most trusted people who are working to construct LA's 4400 Center. She will be well looked after there."
"You mean she won't be in danger of letting slip about your romantic dalliances there. You know, I'm not sure sometimes whether you're not a real bastard, Jordan."
"And it's your very uncertainty that makes you so endearing to me." Jordan smiled benignly. It was a fight they'd had before; one Shawn found pointless to continue. There were things about Jordan that Shawn wasn't entire comfortable with, and his methods were occasionally unorthodox (to say the least), but he felt sure that his mentor was doing something important for the future of humanity, and he tried to question his actions as little as possible.
"So who's she?" he asked, gesturing toward the closed office door, toward Claire.
"Claire? She's an interesting case. Been gone since 1977, only 22 years old. No family left, and no discernable abilities have surfaced since her return. Still, I believe there's…something there."
"What do you mean?" Shawn scowled, and Jordan chuckled.
"She got under your skin, did she?" He shook his head. "Put your personal feelings aside for a moment, Shawn, and let me ask you something." Jordan suddenly became animated; his voice took on the fervor Shawn recognized from whenever Jordan felt he'd encountered a breakthrough regarding the 4400. "How many non-4400s have we attracted to the Center since its establishment?"
"I dunno. Not too many, maybe 50?"
"And they're all here in the hopes of discovering some hidden ability, some hidden talent that they hope we'll be able to bring out in them, am I right?"
"Yes."
"And how many of those 50 people have actually uncovered any abilities?"
"Well, none."
"So maybe we're taking the wrong tack. Maybe the key to unlocking the 4400 in everyone lies first in unlocking the 4400 in – well, in the 4400."
"Jordan, what do you mean?"
"I mean, what about the returnees like Claire? She was gone for almost thirty years, and – and nothing. You were only gone for three and you have one of the most incredible gifts I've yet seen among us."
"So, what are you saying? That she has some sort of ability that simply hasn't manifested?"
"Precisely! And if we can encourage Claire's latent abilities to surface, then we'll have a better idea of how to foster such abilities among the normal population!"
"Yeah, but if Claire's been taking classes here at the Center and undergoing all the same treatment, visualization therapy, attempts to open new neural pathways, and she still hasn't discovered any abilities – I mean, what more can you do, Jordan?"
"Ah, I'm designing several experiments." He paused, seeming to think better of saying what he was about to. "Their composition isn't important. What's important is that we're finally taking a step forward!"
"I don't know, Jordan. I'll believe it when I see it."
"You will, my boy, you will!"