Circuits and Synapses

by Harper Doyle

  Chapter 5

  During the early morning, before anyone in the housing development started to wake, Nadia would get up and walk to the bathroom for a peaceful shower by herself. This was the only time to get such a luxury. Most of the time the bathroom was hustling and bustling with the dozens of other girls and the thought of a peaceful moment in the shower was unheard of. Nadia had discovered the golden hour on a chance. She happened to wake up early one day from the lack of a good nights rest and decided to wake herself up with a cold shower, and to her surprise there was no one else around. Since then Nadia had made it a habit to wake up earlier in the morning to get her time alone in quiet solitude.

  This particular morning held a slight chill in the air, thus it was a hot shower that Nadia sought. Nadia turned to knob all the way to the ‘H’ signifying hot and waited for it to warm up. With the sound of water hitting the shower floor Nadia looked at herself in the mirror, another habit she had started. She wanted to keep track of how she changed over the course of her stay with the company. Nadia discovered that since her arrival her face had grown more mature looking, obviously a sign of near puberty. Her eyes had turned from a honey brown color to a more earthy brown color. This was due to the fact that both her eyes had been replaced and Nadia assumed that they did not feel compelled to mirror her real eye color to the new eyes. It was odd to her, to look in the mirror and not see your own eyes. As much as Nadia stared at her new eyes, they always looked real, not a hint that they were mechanical. As the days went on Nadia grew more and more accustomed to them.

  The shower was ready, judging by the steam Nadia saw coming on from behind the curtains. She pulled the cloth curtain back and stepped into the scalding water. The water was soothing and helped to release tension in her back and shoulders. Nadia stood there in the water for a moment and closed her eyes. Letting her mind wander through the various memories she had. For a moment she imagined she was back at home, and that her parents and Sonya were still alive. She was in the shower and her mom was knocking on the door.

  ‘Nadia, you need to get out of the shower, Sonya needs to use the bathroom and Dmitri wants to get ready for his date. Hurry up in there.’ Nadia would huff because she was enjoying the warm water washing away her worries of the day. That day she had taken a test and had done poorly on it, fearing a doomed end of her high school career she came home and took a shower. Dmitri had told her not to worry, but how could she not? Every grade counted in order to get into a good college. Such trivial thoughts now. Nadia came out her dream world of memories long dead. She continued on with her shower washing her hair and body before her daydreams overtook her mind once more.

  It was the fourth of July and the fireworks were going off. Red, white and blue, the colors of the American flag. They were so beautiful and Nadia was absorbed in the pop, crackle and boom of the various firework displays. This was a time before Sonya was born, when it was just Dmitri and Nadia. She was only around six years old, and Dmitri was ten. At that time they were each others best friend, what a wondrous time that was. Nadia was skipping through the grass and Dmitri decided to run after her. They began a game of chase which resulted in a victorious Nadia. Dmitri was out of breath but still managed to glomp her, ensuing in both of them falling to the ground. There they lay watching the rest of the fireworks go off.

  Life was so easy back then, so peaceful, and Nadia had not even realized it. For her being a freshman in high school seemed like the end of the world. How different things were now, Nadia was alone in a place where their main objective was to replace her body with machines and to have her kill people. High school seemed like a walk in the park now, but it was too little, too late.

  The shower was calming but at the same time aroused memories connected to emotions. As much as Nadia wanted to let out everything inside her, to do so would put her plans and goals in jeopardy. A few deep breaths and Nadia was over it, pushing the emotions deeper inside, so that they would not come out. Turning off the shower Nadia stepped out and dressed quickly. When she was done and heading back out to the bedding area most of the other girls were waking up and making their way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Nadia walked past them and straight back to her bunk mate.

  Rebecca was combing out her hair and getting dressed herself. She preferred to shower at night, wanting to get as much sleep as she could. Nadia greeted her with a nod, not yet ready to speak for the day. Rebecca understood and returned the nod, adding her usual smile.

  “Ready for the test in math today? I thought about studying but I figured, what the hell, does it really matter that much?” It was evident from Rebecca’s slacker attitude that she had not gotten a good night’s sleep and wouldn’t be the happiest girl around. That was fine with Nadia because she was never the happiest or nicest girl around. She felt that she shouldn’t have to go out of her way to be nice or particularly happy for no reason. Rebecca used this tactic to get on everyone’s good side, in case she needed them to do something for her. When Nadia and Rebecca were alone, however, the cheery façade would melt and Rebecca would curse everyone out, just because she could. In fact that was Rebecca’s favorite past time, cursing, or at least it seemed that way to Nadia.

  “I did not even know that there was a test today. Any clue what it’s on?”

  “I think she said something about trigonometry but I could be wrong.” Nadia sighed and slumped over where she stood. Even without being at a real high school she was already tired of learning and math and homework and tests. Nadia preferred the training sessions over the schooling ones. Somehow learning how to do a spinning kick was more exciting than learning about trigonometry, or whatever they were supposed to be leaning. Rebecca and Nadia started to walk over to the breakfast line, as they did every day and retrieved their usual breakfast foods, a muffin for Nadia and a bowl of cereal for Rebecca. Today they were serving apple juice and both girls grabbed a glass. With food in hand they set out to find a table to sit down at. Since coming back from the hospital their usual groups would get up and leave when Rebecca and Nadia sat down. So after that happening a few times Nadia just gave up trying to sit with them and so far they hadn’t attempted to rejoin them.

  Nadia spotted a table a few yards away and made a beeline for it, Rebecca followed behind her and once at the table they sat down. Breakfast usually passed in silence. The two of them wanted to finish eating before talking so as to ensure that they ate the entire meal, without fear of running out of time. Once they finished eating their discussion focused on their curiosity as to when the company would have their next procedure be. Nadia thought that it would happen within two weeks; Rebecca believed that it would happen sooner rather than later. The two of them discussed it right up until they were about to begin their math test. For the rest of the day that was their topic of discussion.

  It just so happened that the next procedure was closer than either of them had both thought. The very next day none other than Jack showed up by the fence and made his way to the warden. This time Nadia saw him and ran to Rebecca, alerting her to the news. It was possible that he was here for a different group, but that was unlikely. For any other group some sort of lackey would accompany them to the hospital, but only for Nadia’s group did he show up. Standing near their beds Rebecca and Nadia stared at Jack, calculating his every step with their upgraded eyes.

  Both of them had learned to zoom in and by doing so they could see Jack’s lips moving. He was mouthing names, out of those listed Nadia and Rebecca identified their names and a sigh of despair was released from both of them. Before the announcement went on Rebecca and Nadia began the walk to the gate of the fence, dreading each step they took. The other girls were arriving at the same time that they were. The warden was taken aback by the appearance of group seven before he had even made the announcement. He put the intercom microphone down and chuckled a bit to himself.

  “Glad that all
you lovely ladies figured out to come here before the announcement went off, let us make this part of the journey as quick as possible.” He was referring to the handcuffs and chain leash. None of the girls appreciated it, but none of them fought it, knowing that the more you cooperated the less punishment you would receive. Getting all the girls in cuffs and the leash took only a few minutes, and then Jack was off. This time Nadia was in the front, leading the way, directly behind Jack. Along the way he tried to talk with Nadia, but she refused to respond to anything he would say.

  “So, my little pretty, how has your stay been here? Comfortable enough, I assure you that we take great pride in the luxury we provide for the masses. Would you agree?” Nadia would just look ahead, ignoring him and revealing as little as she could. He continued to pester her with questions and mocking little comments, but she easily disregarded him. When Jack grew tired of the one way conversation he stopped talking for a moment contemplating something to say that would light a spark within Nadia. It took less than a minute before Jack grinned and glanced at Nadia sideways. She could feel his gaze and it caused her skin to crawl.

  “You know, Miss Rachmaninov, I happen to know how your brother is doing. I could tell you, ya know.” That caught Nadia’s attention, as well as everyone else’s in line. No one, save for Rebecca, knew that Nadia had a brother, much less that he was here at the company’s headquarters. Just the thought of her brother made a lump form in Nadia’s throat. For so long she was uncertain if he was dead or alive, and now this monster of a man held the answer to her question. At the moment all eyes were on Nadia and she could feel their gazes on her back. They were all so curious to find out despite about her brother, even though he hardly knew her and didn’t particularly like her. Nadia turned her head and gazed at Jack, deciphering his expression, determining if she should trust his words or to continue to ignore him. The pressure was too much and the stress of not knowing was too overpowering for her to reason with herself and all logic was thrown out the window.

  “Is he alive?” That was all she needed to know at the moment, if Jack would answer only one question it would be that. Jack went from smirk to full on grin at having triumphed over Nadia. He laughed under his breath and looked at her sideways again before drawing in another breath to speak. The line behind her let out a breath only to hold it once more in waiting for Jack to respond.

  “So, I piqued your interest have I? Well, it’s nice to know that you have a human side after all. I do know whether your brother is alive or not, but before I tell you I want you to do something for me.” This laid on Nadia’s shoulders now, she could continue down this path of curiosity and potentially find out the state of her brother, but at what cost. What could he possibly ask of her, she had nothing to give him, and surely he knew that. Tossing the idea around in her head, fighting herself between the thoughts of yes and no, which was the right choice? The time for making a decision was drawing to an end, there was not a lot of time left before they reached the double doors, and beyond that it would be nearly impossible to gain any knowledge from Jack. It was a now or never situation and Nadia had to make a decision. A few more seconds passed and Nadia made a response.

  “Fine.” She breathed, it was scarcely louder than a whisper, but that was enough for Jack, he smiled real big and laughed for a while as if the answers surprised him to no end. The delight of getting his way was that of sheer craziness. What had Nadia gotten herself into?

  “I was hoping you were going to agree. All that I require of you is to allow me to do an extra procedure on you. It is so cool and amazing I can’t begin to tell you. It’s a surprise and you will find out when you wake up from this routine procedure with the added bonus of the mystery surgery. Lucky you, lucky you.” He was poking Nadia playfully, but nothing about what Jack was saying seemed to lighten anyone’s spirits. Nadia was waiting to hear the information about her brother, but Jack seemed to be withholding the information.

  “Well, aren’t you going to tell me about my brother?” Nadia was getting frantic, knowing full well that there was only a few more minutes before it was too late for Jack to say anything concerning her brother.

  “I’ll tell you, geez, don’t get your panties in a twist.” Jack paused for a moment, deliberately trying to freak Nadia out, before he continued. “He is alive and from what I have been told he is doing exceptionally well. Does that satisfy your curiosity for now?” Nadia let out a sharp breath, as if the air in her lungs was forced out by the news of her brother. And for the first time in a long time Nadia was unable to keep her emotions in check and a tear fell down her cheek. A feeling of relief filled her being and for a split second a wave of calming peace flooded her. By closing her eyes, if only for that same brief second she could imagine her brother beside her. The last of her family was alive, for sure. Jack had won this round against Nadia, but to her it was well worth the loss to know that she was not alone in the world.

  “All right you little pretties, I don’t think I have to introduce you to this room again, do I? Good, your counterparts are waiting inside and your surgeries will start momentarily.” Jack opened the door, and stepped in. Nadia still had the tear on her cheek and she quickly made a move to wipe it away before anyone could notice. It was too late though; James had already seen it and sat up straight in his chair with a look of concern on his face. When Nadia went to sit next to him she tried to cover up the fact that she had cried, but James was not stupid, he knew what he saw.

  “What the hell happened? I know what I saw so don’t try to deny it, spill it, now.” James was not in the mood to argue and Nadia did not put up much of a fight. They only had a few minutes before they were to start the operation so Nadia only had about a minute to give James the sparks notes version.

  “For the first time since I came here I found out whether or not my brother was still alive. He is alive, and doing fine. I can tell you more afterwards.” James took the information he was given and was satisfied for the moment. It was no longer than two minutes later that James and Nadia were called up for their turn. Together they walked up, side by side. Jack smiled down at Nadia and gave them a brief explanation as to what procedure this was.

  “In this round of surgery the two of you will be receiving a new set of ears. Since they have to be done at the same time the surgery will be a bit longer. When you first come out you will not be able to hear anything, your bodies have to heal before we can turn them on. It will be at least of week of silence, I hope you have a lot to think about.” Jack have a satisfied grin as he turned to Nadia.

  “For you Nadia, your little extra something special with be an additional few hours. Enjoy and I’ll see ya on the flip side.” Jack shoved the two of them in before James could get a word in. There was a flash of concern on his face as Nadia was whisked away from his side and sent to be prepped for the surgeries. He had not been informed about Nadia’s little deal with Jack and he would have to wait until after the ears were turned on to find out exactly what had happened. Nadia did not look at James but stepped forward through the doors embracing her fate.

  Chapter 6

  With the surgery complete Nadia was returned to the infirmary to recover and heal with the rest of her group. She was still unconscious when the hospital staff placed her in the bed beside James and he looked at her with eyes full of questions and uncertainty. For the staff working in the infirmary it was odd not having any noise whatsoever. Usually the four of them squawked and rambled endlessly during their recovery time, since there wasn’t much else that they could do. But without being able to hear one another communication was difficult and thus not attempted very often, hence leaving the room in nearly complete silence. James watched over Nadia’s unconscious body for nearly an hour before she awoke from her medically induced slumber.

  Nadia opened her eyes and she could tell something was different right away; as though something in her mind had cha
nged. Unaware of James’s stare Nadia had a face of utter confusion and fear at what they had done to her this time. Not only could she not hear but even the most human and central part of her being had been tampered with and Nadia could not just sit there feeling like a foreigner in her own head. She remembered Jack saying something about an extra procedure, but she had not gotten any more information than that. By putting one and one together Nadia related the violated feeling in her mind to the extra procedure Jack had been talking about.

  Nadia finally looked over at James and her mind reeled with knowledge, as though her mind had downloaded a vast amount of information. She grabbed her head and while sitting up she appeared to be swaying in her bed. James’s look of bewilderment was lost on Nadia as she continued to hold her head and rock back and forth trying to ease the tension in her mind. Her mind was trying to tell her something but the rest of her being was not ready to handle it. It was though there was a voice in her head whispering softly, barely at hearing level. All this was happening in Nadia’s mind and though it was silent all around her within her mind chaos ran rampant.

  James knew that something was wrong with Nadia, she was acting strangely and the look in her eye was that of a mad person. Though he could not hear his own voice he knew that by yelling he could get somebody’s attention. By taking a deep breath he filled his lungs with enough air to let out what he thought was a loud yell for at least a full thirty seconds. In little than two minutes there was personnel all around him but he only pointed to Nadia and with silent words asked them to help her. Speaking to her would do no good.

  With little left in the form of help they injected Nadia with something and she fell limp and her eyes closed. They had used a sedative to calm her and then left to fetch one of the doctors and Jack. In a few moments the group arrived and looked down at Nadia, unconscious. James could tell they were talking but was unable to understand what they were saying since most of their backs faced him so he couldn’t get a good enough look to read their lips.