Ration
Page 26
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“This way,” Brian called, beckoning to Amber as she finished climbing the last flight of stairs. She could feel gravity increasing on her as she ascended; it was an odd sensation, a heaviness in her legs that she hadn’t ever felt before. Her mind flashed back to the plans she and Ayn had made to go to the mountains, and she wondered if climbing that high would have felt anything like this.
She stepped off of the landing and onto the metal walkway. All along the wall to her left were doors, each set a few feet apart and seeming to stretch the whole expanse of the walkway. She followed him, pausing to glance down over the rail again. The solar lights were off now that the sunlight that streamed in through the ceiling was a little brighter, making it slightly easier to see. She squinted, watching as rows of dim lights flickered on around the perimeters of what now appeared to be dozens of lower levels.
“What’s down there?”
“Living quarters,” Brian answered, walking past the doors. “Come on.”
Amber hurried forward, her head still turned to look down, and she didn’t notice him stop.
“Watch it!” he snapped, glaring at her as she ran into him. He had paused in front of one of the doors, and he gave her an annoyed look as he opened it and gestured for her to go ahead of him. She put her head down, her face turning red as she obeyed.
“Sorry.”
The walls of the corridor were sky blue, and pale yellow lights on the ceiling shone bright in the narrow space. She glanced ahead; there was a shimmering white light on the wall just a few feet in front of her, and she pursed her lips. It almost reminded her of the heat mirages she was so used to seeing back at the settlement.
“Processing is just up ahead,” Brian called loudly from behind her.
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“Processing is just up ahead,” the voice suddenly crackled out of the intercom. Andreas’ eyes darted to the screens and switches one last time, mentally checking them, then she focused on the glass, holding her breath.
≈
Amber approached the light on the wall, furrowing her brow with curiosity. A flash of movement to her right caught her eye, startling her, then her mouth dropped open in surprise.
It was a mirror, and the light she had seen was the reflection it cast on the wall opposite its surface. She stared at herself, fighting the urge to laugh. She was filthy; she almost couldn’t tell where the dust ended and her skin began. Every inch of her was layered in dirt, and lines of dark clay had filled in the creases on her neck.
Her gaze drifted, focusing on her face, and her throat instantly closed up as her mind flashed back to that last day at the grid with Ayn. He had captured her perfectly, and she reached up, gently touching the scar on her cheek.
Now, though, Amber could see the details he hadn’t been able to draw: short, sunbleached brown hair framed her dirt-streaked face, the new roots appearing almost black beneath the lighter strands. Her eyes were a golden hazel, and her lips were pink. She smiled at herself, inspecting her slightly crooked teeth.
You’re beautiful.
Ayn’s voice echoed in her heart, and Amber glanced away, clenching her jaw as she forced herself to take a slow breath.
“Let’s go,” she said, turning away and quickly stepping past the mirror.
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The monitors began to beep loudly, and Andreas gasped as she stared at the data readouts that filled the screens. She lifted the recorder to her mouth.
“Timestamp 07:55:26. Stimulation test 205 successful, data indicates increased activity that suggests emotional attachment and facial recognition. Further dictation to follow.”
Noah began clapping, and Andreas turned to smile at him, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“I’d say that counts as a success, wouldn’t you?” she beamed, bending down to study the patterns captured by the monitors. “It’s time for the next dose, take care of it, will you?”
Noah nodded, moving towards the center of the room and picking up a syringe. He stepped in front of a tall, plastic board that had been raised vertically to face the window, taking the cap off the needle.
Amber’s alive.
She’s alive…she’s alive…
The words echoed through Ayn’s mind as he forced a blank stare, ignoring the sharp stab of the needle as it jabbed into his thigh. He tried to calm his thoughts, breathing slowly as he counted his heartbeats. Amber was alive, and for the first time since arriving at the lab, he was grateful that they had faked his harvest rather than killing him outright. At least now he knew.
Ayn moved his eyes slightly; Andreas was still staring at the monitors, and he knew she was seeing everything he had spent the last two weeks trying to hide. Despite his best efforts, there was no way he ever could have prepared himself for this, and for a moment, he was almost impressed by how brilliant the researcher’s idea had been.
Even so, he had no delusions about what would follow now that she had her data. She was going to break him somehow, or at least she would try. She straightened, turning to look at him, and Ayn relaxed his jaw as determination began burning in his eyes.
Let her try.
†‡†
BOOK TWO COMING SOON!
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A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Thank you for reading the first installment in the RATION series! I hope you enjoyed it, but I won’t know unless YOU tell me!
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―Christina J. Thompson