by A. M. White
“We were aware, all of us. We couldn’t allow the eradication of the human-race. That is where all of this was going, correct?” I looked at her.
She slightly nodded. “The final stages of the plan were put in motion. We were days away from surfacing the first land dwellers.”
“Grace, do you really think it is wise to share that information?” Another Superior scolded.
“Do you think it makes any difference, now?” Grace raised her eyebrows at the man. He became quiet. “We have had a major setback. I know that. In the very near future, we are going to address that behind closed doors. The past is of no consequence at this moment. To act with emotion is not wise.” She pushed back her chair and stood. “We have an opportunity here. We can conduct much needed research about the effects of the surface upon our kind, before we send them up there. We also can collect data about how the body acclimates to below ground living, if some are not able to sustain long term. I would like to call upon the Superior of Medicine to discuss the benefits this research may provide.” Grace turned to another Superior across the table. She took her seat.
“I have a report to share.” He passed out a packet of papers to each of the Superiors. “Timothy is a strong specimen. In the documents, you will see the tests that we have conducted since his capture. Cara’s report will come soon; she has been less willing to cooperate. I hope that Timothy will be able to persuade her to work with us.”
He paused and looked at me for a reaction. He continued when he realized I wasn’t going to give him one. “Timothy shows many increased abilities from his time above. We do need more data to fully understand this. His sister may confirm the progress that can be made above ground.
However, there may be cases where our genetic engineering may prohibit certain breeds from an easy transfer to life above. It would be smart to collect data to chart how reinsertion below ground, in case of emergency, or inability to adapt. We must face the fact that some of our less physically fit might not obtain the same reaction to surface life.
All of this is in my report. It will take time for you to consider and we can revisit that.
What I do suggest is that my team continues observation and testing on the prisoners. Of course, that is, if we vote in favor and Timothy agrees to assist us.” He propped his elbows on the back of his chair.
Two of Lori’s confidants had revealed themselves. At least, I knew not everyone in the room wanted us dead.
“Please also note the effort and resources that have already been used to assess the prisoners and treat them.” He rounded the chair and sat down.
Terrance retook the meeting. He flipped through the packet. “Before we place a vote on the table; would we have your consent and word that you would participate freely?”
“Yes. My only request is that I am given the chance to talk to the others about the decision I have made for them.” I clasped my hands tightly. Lori hadn’t prepared me for the drawn-out process I endured.
Terrance looked me up and down. “That sounds acceptable.”
“I don’t believe a word he says.” Arthur slapped the table.
“Control yourself.” Terrance warned. “There are two options for the vote; proceed with testing or execution. Those in favor of execution?” Three hands rose. “Those in favor of testing?” Four hands rose, including Terrance’s.
The knots in my stomach softened. We would live.
Terrance jotted notes on his packet. “Let it be known, that the committee of Superiors have voted four to three in favor of further research.”
I remained seated while the Superiors pushed back their chairs. They were obligated to take the research packets with them. I wondered if any of them would read it. Chances were, they only served the purpose of an attempt to appear official. The bottom line was all that mattered.
Bryce approached me. His boots pounded against the volcanic glass floor. He pulled me to my feet and guided me out of the room.
“That was indescribable.” He exhaled.
“Tell me about it.” I looked straight ahead. I had saved Cara, Alex, and Jason for now.
Alex
I wailed like a wounded animal. My voice was foreign in the white walled room. It bounced off the smooth surfaces and back to my ears. No one was there to hear it, but me.
My first instinct was to grip onto something. My left arm prickled as though it was asleep. I couldn’t feel anything with my hand. My right hand slid against the steel of the table. The sensation was odd. I told my brain to move my left arm, yet, there was no reaction.
I grunted and propped myself on my right elbow. The other arm hung awkwardly at the shoulder. Bandages started at the shoulder and wound down to my elbow. They stopped there. I blinked in disbelief. Along with the bandages, my arm stopped. The lower part of my arm was gone.
A horrific, high-pitched scream left me. I panicked. I cradled the numb across my chest. My body began to rock back and forth uncontrollably. In my head, I felt the extension of my arm and hand, but my right hand held the rounded stub tightly.
I screamed again. The scream turned into dry heaves. I curled over my legs and my stomach continued to lurch.
This had to be a nightmare. My arm couldn’t be gone.
“No! No, no, no.” I repeated as I sobbed.
A thought struck me with a wave of fear. “What if my arm wasn’t the only thing gone?” The shock brought me to my senses.
I released my arm and patted down my legs. “One, two.” Then my hand ran over my face. “One mouth, one nose, two eyes, and hair are here.“ My fingers laced through my hair. It stopped short around my shoulders, but it was there.
I squeezed the injured shoulder. It felt lumpy under the bandages. The gauze was taped on the top of the joint and ran under my armpit. I picked at it, to see if it would come loose easily. It pulled at my skin. I decided it could wait.
I slammed my hand on the table. Fear and sadness evolved into anger. I pounded the metal and shrieked. Someone needed to come in here and make some sense of this.
“Get in here!” I yelled as I banged on the table. “Come in here!”
The palm of my hand would be bruised, but I didn’t care. The door behind me didn’t open, nor did anyone speak to me over the intercom installed beside it.
“I know you can hear me!” I gritted my teeth. “Answer me!”
The handle on the door turned. Two medics scooted into the room and the door closed firmly. They kept their backs against the wall.
I swiveled in their direction. “Would someone please tell me what happened? Why do I have this?” I presented my half arm to them.
One of the medics held her hand up. “My name is Lori. We know you have many questions. You most certainly are in shock. That is normal, given your circumstances.”
“Of course I am in shock! My arm is gone! I wake up in this room, alone, with no arm!” I spat, hysterically.
Lori shifted a clipboard to her hip. She spoke evenly, in a calm tone. “I understand how you must feel. We need you to calm down, so that we can assess you. Then I will give you answers.”
Tears streaked down my face. “You know how this feels?” I shook my head and let it fall into my lap. The end of my arm poked my hip.
The medics didn’t come closer. “I need you to trust me.” Lori’s voice was as smooth as liquid.
“Are the others alive?” My voice was muffled against my knees.
“Alex, I can’t help you until you let us check you out.” Lori took a step toward me.
I gave in. “Go ahead. You promise to talk after?”
“Yes. I promise.” She agreed.
The other medic gently laid me on my back. He listened to my heart and took my blood pressure. He made notes on the clipboard Lori handed him.
Lori peeled the tape from my shoulder. Her fingers pulled the bandage slowly. I tried not to look. I wasn’t sure I could handle it.
Lori placed her hand on my shoulder. “It’s not so bad. You should look now, wh
ile we are here. I’m not going to put the bandage back. It will be good to let the skin breath.”
I cocked my head to the side. The skin on my arm was pink. The new skin was pinched and bumpy in places. It looked freshly healed. The elbow was rounded from amputation. I shrieked at the sight of it. The end of the joint pushed at the skin.
I turned away quickly. My stomach heaved again. Lori put her hand back on my shoulder. “Take a deep breath. I am working on a donor. If we find a match, our medical team is willing to perform a transplant. That is, if you would like one?”
“I can’t even process that right now.” I gagged at the visualization of someone else’s hand at the end of my own.
She patted my head. “I understand. We will leave that till later.”
The other medic inspected my mangled arm. He raised it over my head and checked for mobility. He pushed on the new skin. “Can you feel anything, yet?” He asked.
“No. It just feels like it’s asleep.” I closed my eyes. Tears dripped from the corners of my eyes and rolled into my hair.
He scribbled on the clipboard. “I suggest we keep the arm numb from the shoulder down, for the time being. The pain, mixed with shock would be bad.”
Lori leaned over my face. “Is that okay with you?” She took off her mask. Her face was honest. She had the lines of a middle-aged woman. It was her eyes that caught my attention. Even though they were white, they had a softness to them. She looked at me like a concerned mother.
“Okay.” I answered.
The male medic left my side and rooted around in a cabinet close to the door. While he readied the medicine, Lori stroked my hair.
When he returned with the needle in hand, she moved out of his way. I wished she would have stayed there. She made me relax.
“This is going to pinch a little.” He swabbed the skin with disinfectant. Then the needle entered my skin. He pushed it further, into the joint. I clenched my jaw and squeezed my eyes shut. A cold feeling spread through my shoulder. Eventually, I couldn’t feel the needle.
“All done.” He turned and went back to the cabinet.
Lori came to my side. “That was a good decision. Things are still healing, so when the other meds wear off, it will hurt.”
I ignored her compliment. “Am I allowed to ask questions now?”
“Yes. Thank you for allowing us to help you.” She assisted me to a seated position.
I gave her a skeptical glance.
She giggled. “I prefer to work with people, not against them.”
The other medic left the room.
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and whispered. “You can ask Timothy soon.”
I shivered at the sound of his name. My eyes searched her face for truth. She smiled to reassure me.
“Are they all alive?” I asked bravely.
“Yes, although, Jason isn’t doing so well.” She lowered her gaze.
“Why? What’s wrong?” Jason had become an adopted brother to me. I was worried.
“He was closest to the explosion. He took the brunt of it. If it weren’t for him, you would have lost more than your arm.” She took my hand in hers. “He is currently incapacitated; unable to speak, hear, see, or move. Our team is working diligently to reattach nerves and give him some of it back.”
“Will he be okay?” I tear streaked down my cheeks for him.
“We are doing our best. I will keep you informed of his progress. We have high hopes.” She squeezed my fingers lightly.
“Cara and Timothy, are alright?” I prodded.
“They were burned, but otherwise fully recovered.” She winked at me proudly.
My heart leapt in my chest. I had never been so thankful in my life.
My chin trembled. “What happened to my arm?”
“When the soldiers got to you, it was already severed. Unfortunately, it was damaged beyond repair.” She caressed the top of my hand. “I will get you a new one, if you decide you want it.”
I nodded. “Will I be allowed to see the others? Are we prisoners?”
“In a way, yes. The four of you carried out the most severe crime we have ever witnessed. However, it is my medical opinion that none of you are ready for a cell. You will be instructed as to your part soon. There was a meeting today with the Superiors. We will know your fate soon enough.”
“A meeting? What are they going to do to us?” I panicked.
“Nothing for now. I can’t tell you more, until I know myself.” She stood. “In the meantime, you need to rest.”
“Wait!” I reached for her.
“I will be back soon, hopefully with more information I can share.” She scanned her badge and left.
I laid down, curled into the fetal position, and cried myself to sleep.
Timothy
Bryce took me to a different room after the meeting. I knew we took an unfamiliar route. At the door, I raised an eyebrow at him.
“You will enjoy the new quarters.” He sounded like he smiled behind the mask when he talked. The steel door opened and he ushered me inside.
Everything was sterile; white and chrome. However, the room was much larger than the medical bay. There was a table with two chairs. Books, paper, and pencils laid on top. A counter with a pitcher was filled with water and cups waited for use. There was a sink built into the counter.
I turned to see a small bed with white linens against the opposite wall. New clothes were folded on a small bedside table. A hamper and waste basket fit between it and the corner of the room. There was even a floor lamp with a string that hung from under the shade. I could control the light. There was a toilet with a curtain that could be pulled for some privacy.
“You are no longer a patient. You are now our guest.” Bryce pulled a key from his belt and unlocked my handcuffs.
I rubbed my wrists. They had become stiff from the awkward position the cuffs had limited them to.
I noticed a closet in the room. I pulled back the accordion door. A small bench was inside.
“That is for your daily UV treatments.” Bryce pointed out. “I must go, but will be back once you have settled. Lori will be by soon to discuss when and how you will talk to the others.” He walked to the door.
“Thank you.” I said before he scanned his badge.
He faced me and nodded. “You will be monitored, so make sure you follow the rules.” He warned.
My new quarters were much more enjoyable. I could deal with a little more freedom, even if it was an illusion.
I started to feel stifled in the medical bay. At least this room was more open. I wasn’t tethered to the furniture. That was a plus.
I stumbled to the bed, suddenly exhausted. Today had pressed my nerves. I rolled onto the mattress. It felt so good.
I was reminded of the bed in my little hut in the village. The bed Alex and I shared. My stomach clenched at the thought that she was still considered critical. I stared at the ceiling and tried to recall the shape of her eyes. I loved her eyes. I wanted to see her as soon as possible.
The longer I laid there, the more the gears in my head picked up speed. If she didn’t make it, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to comply with the directive of the Superiors.
Today, I trusted people, because it was all I had left. Lori revealed herself to me. She told me about the others and asked me to take the option to remain a test subject. In my experience, people don’t help each other unless there is something they want in return. I wondered if she had deeper intentions than to just help me.
Bryce had always been a loyal friend, well, as close to a friend as one could have down here. Again, I felt the tug at my conscience of whether to trust him or not.
This whole thing could be a set up. I might be a pawn in someone’s twisted game. I resolved to be more aware and logical until they proved themselves.
My eye lids were heavy. I allowed them to close. Only a few minutes of rest wouldn’t hurt anything.
Oh, how wrong I was. I had never dreamed;
until now.
The boat skidded to a stop on the river’s shallow bottom. Alex had become a sickly shade of gray. I scooped her up in my arms. She moaned from the movement. Her body radiated heat from fever. Cold sweat ran down my arm.
I jumped from the boat. Knee deep in water, I waded to the shore. I sprinted. Alex needed medical treatment, immediately.
A man stepped in front of me. “Who are you?”
I shoved him out of the way. I didn’t look back when I heard him hit the ground.
I ran through the village. People stared at me as I barged through the marketplace.
“Someone, get the doctor!” I yelled at no one.
Alex faded fast. Her breath was uneven against my chest. Her head rolled to the side and she vomited.
I kicked in the door to the doctor’s hut. “Doctor!”
There was no answer. A table was filled with papers and gadgets. I used my elbows to clear it.
“Doctor!” Again, no one came.
I laid Alex on the table. I cradled her dying body. I kissed her cheeks.
“Stay with me Alex. Stay with me!” I shook her. “Someone, get the doctor!” I screamed.
Alex’s lips parted. A long drawn out gasp left her body.
I put my head on her chest. Her heart had stopped. “No! Alex!” I patted her face. It had grown cold so fast. Her expression and pain was gone. She was gone.
A strong hand on my wrist startled me from the dream. “Timothy?” My eyes focused. It was Lori.
“Is Alex alive?” I sat up and jerked my head around to make sure it had been a dream. “Is she alive?” I grabbed Lori’s arms.
Her eyes widened and she yanked herself free from my grasp. “Yes, she is alive. What happened?” She was frightened.
“I think I just had a dream.” I rubbed my eyes. My face was wet with sweat.
She relaxed a little. “That is very interesting.” She tilted her head and smiled. “I take it was about Alex?”
“Yes. It was a very bad and realistic dream.” I explained. “On more than one occasion, I was jealous of her, for being able to have dreams. I will never be jealous again. That was terrible.”