Circuits and Synapses

by Harper Doyle

  Nadia gave James a smile and before either of them realized it they were off to the combat training room. Elizabeth was there, but she was also accompanied by two large men that looked frightening and deadly. Elizabeth had her usual cold and emotionless expression on as she directed Nadia and James into the room.

  “Come forward you too. I would like to introduce you to your sparring partners. They are extremely well trained ex-military. You may call them Henry and Dave. They are going to go over some basic moves with you, just to get started. And just a reminder, there will be no repeat of what happened last time, am I clear?” Elizabeth was directing her gaze straight at Nadia, who didn’t falter under her gaze. Nadia nodded, as did James. Without another word Elizabeth stepped back and let Henry and Dave begin their lesson. Since James and Nadia had great control over their new arms they were able to pick up on the movement fairly quickly.

  Though Nadia still seemed to be holding back Elizabeth had no intention of doing what Jack had done to get her out of her shell. That had obviously not ended well. So instead Elizabeth just allowed Nadia to continue to be timid until she figured out that things wouldn’t end the same way was last time. James had noticed too, though, and he was not taking the backseat on this one.

  “Come on Nadia, get into it. Just think of what it will mean.” James left the rest unsaid so as to not draw any unwanted or unneeded attention. Though what he said did have the desired effect on Nadia and she started to push a little harder in her moves. Henry, who was Nadia’s partner began to push harder himself, but unlike with Daniel, Henry was far better trained. He completely outmaneuvered Nadia like she was a baby tottering around. Even though Nadia could still hear the voices in her head she tried her best to ignore them.

  ‘Go for the knees, he will crumble and you can go in for the blow to the head. The knees, go for the knees, everything else will follow.’ The voices were persistent, but Nadia would just do the opposite that they demanded her to do. If they said to go for the knees she would focus on his upper body. It certainly led her to be overtaken several times, but it was better than the alternative of listening to the voices. But it wasn’t like Nadia was ignoring all of her upgrades, but rather relied on her keen vision to spot hesitation and speed, as well as her ears to pick up changes in his heart rate and breathing. It was amazing how just tuning into those human functions she could deduce so much about a fight and she could still keep her head about her.

  “Alright, time to call it a day. We will pick up here tomorrow. You are dismissed back to your rooms.” Elizabeth announced before nodding to the two men and escorting Nadia and James out of the room. They complied easily and trudged back to their rooms and their restraints. The nurses were sure to tie them tight and then leave them alone as usual.

  “I feel much better about the combat training this time then last time. I’m sure it has something to do with Jack’s lack of presence.” James half smiled at Nadia.

  “I would agree with you, but I still don’t like fighting people. I just don’t fully trust myself not to hurt someone again. I have already lost so much in this place, but I am afraid that I stand to lose even more, including my own humanity.” Nadia looked into her lap, not wanting to work herself up too much. James silently nodded his agreement.

  “Once we finish the full rehab on our arms, let’s try and escape, ok?” Nadia’s head shot up instantly.

  “Don’t talk so loud about that kind of thing. What if they overheard us talking about it?” Nadia loudly whispered to James, who had the decency to look mildly ashamed.

  “Sorry, but I think we need to make our move soon, there isn’t much time left for us. We are practically half way through this process, and things are just going to get expedited from here on out.” Nadia nodded her agreement.

  “Alright then, let’s talk, quietly, about it. Only loud enough for our ears.” James caught the hint and they began to exchange ideas about how to escape.

  “When the wheel us out for the next surgery we can try and break the restraints and make a run for it.” James suggested. Nadia thought it over but shook her head.

  “There will be guards around us at that time. They would be all over us in an instant if we did that.” James sighed and nodded his agreement.

  “You are right.”

  “We can work on breaking the restraints now, while no one is around, and then figure out a way to pick the locks and escape when there aren’t guards around.” Nadia supplied.

  “They probably have cameras on us now. They would see what we are doing and send in guards before we could even make it to the hallway.” James countered. Nadia looked around the room and indeed there were a least a half dozen hidden cameras that she could pick up with her keen vision.

  “There are about six cameras on us now. Guess that’s a bust.” Nadia relented.

  “We could try and convince one of the doctors to help us out. Make like they were taking us to do a special test or something and then lead us right out of here.” James eagerly offered, but the idea of trusting someone else with her freedom just didn’t sit well with Nadia.

  “I think that would be impossible, they would more likely run and tell their bosses then help us and then we waste our most likely only chance at getting out of here.” The two of them went back and forth for hours, trying to figure out a plan of escape, but ever idea they came up with had a major flaw that would make it impossible.

  Then, after a few hours, the doors to their room opened quietly, revealing a familiar face. It was the doctor that Nadia remembered from the time her eyes had bled and had been taken to the hospital by herself.

  “Dr. Turner?” Nadia whispered to the man softly closing the door behind himself. James looked slightly confused but didn’t say anything. The doctor glanced up at Nadia.

  “Oh, why hello there, little miss. Glad to see that you have been keeping yourself well.” Something was off about the doctor though and Nadia noticed that his heartbeat was irregular, as though he was nervous about something.

  “Is everything alright doctor? Is there a reason why you are here?” Dr. Turner straightened himself up and walked calmly over to Nadia’s bedside. Though his heart rate indicated his nerves, sitting in front of her now Nadia would have never been able to tell just from looking at him.

  “Why nothing is wrong at all. I’m just going around doing the rounds with some of the patients here. How are you both feeling today?” Nadia didn’t know what was happening here, but this doctor had been the only nice person beside her comrades that she knew in the place and thus decided to just go along with whatever was happening.

  “I’m fine. Just a little tired from the combat training they are putting us through. Still not completely used to having two artificial limbs attached to me. I’m also wary of fighting due to what happened last time. But that is of no concern to my well-being.” Dr. Turner’s interest was piqued though when Nadia mentioned what was going on behind closed doors.

  “Combat training, eh? Very interesting.” Dr. Turner seemed to be contemplating something and he was silent for a few seconds before he spoke again.

  “Do you like what is happening here Nadia?” The doctor asked, and the question caught Nadia off guard. What was this guy getting at?

  “No, I mean I was brought here after my parents were murdered and then they killed my little sister and dragged my brother away from me. Everyone I have come to care for, save James, has been taken away from me, some never to return again. I also don’t appreciate being made into a toy for others to use me for their sick killing games. Does that answer your question, doctor?” Nadia huffed and faced away from the prying doctor’s gaze, but he seemed to have heard enough and nodded to himself before getting up abruptly and leaving the room. Though before he closed the doors behind him he whispered, ever so softly that Nadia nearly missed it
.

  “Everything will be over soon.” Nadia snapped her head in the direction the doctor was leaving, confused by what he meant by that. Quietly she relayed the information to James who was equally confused by the comment.

  “What was that all about?” Nadia breathed.

  Chapter 10

  Several weeks passed since the mysterious visit from Dr. Turner. Nadia and James continued to practice their combat during the day and whisper about plans to escape at night. In all that time though, they had yet to come up with a single viable plan that didn’t have gaping holes in logic. And they were running out of time. Their combat training coupled with the rehab work was nearly complete, they could feel it. They had spent enough time working with Henry and Dave that they were nearly beating them in certain situations. Elizabeth would want to get them started on the next limb replacement surgery soon.

  “We need to hurry up and make a plan soon. I don’t think we have more than a few days until the next operation. Then we will have months to try and learn how to function before we can even reliably use the new leg.” James was exasperated. And Nadia mirrored his frustration, but so far they had not been able to think of anything reliable and if they failed that was it, there was no second chance after that. Nadia was biting her lip, trying her hardest to think of something, anything that would work to get them out of the hellhole they were living in.

  Right in the middle of their thoughts the ever familiar click of heels alerted them that Elizabeth was coming down the hall to them. Nadia feared that she was there to whisk them away for the next limb replacement surgery. James gave Nadia a look that read fear and nervousness. A slight squeak of the doors let them know that Elizabeth was in the room with them and they both turned to face her.

  “Good morning you two, I have a question for you. Have you seen a Dr. Turner around here lately?” Nadia thought back to several weeks ago when the flustered doctor unexpectedly showed up in their room and how he had asked some rather odd questions. And even though Nadia got a weird vibe from him she was hesitating in revealing that the man had in fact been in their room.

  “I can’t say that I know that name.” Nadia lied smoothly, though she could sense James confusion for her lie. Elizabeth studied her for a moment, somewhat doubting her answer.

  “Well that is interesting since we have it on tape that he was in this room a few weeks ago.” Elizabeth kept her icy glare on Nadia.

  “I said I don’t know the name, how can I place a face to a name that I don’t know? And why does it matter now if he came by weeks ago?” Elizabeth didn’t speak for a while and rather huffed and glanced downwards before changing the subject completely.

  “Well it doesn’t concern you. For now we will just go ahead with the next part of the plan, your next limb replacement surgery. It is scheduled to start in a few hours. See you on the other side.” And with that Elizabeth turned on her heels and strutted out the door. Nadia let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding since Elizabeth mentioned the next surgery. Their time had run out. There would be no escape plan, at least not in time.

  “We failed.” Nadia sighed, putting her hands to her face, trying to keep in her carefully controlled emotions.

  “No, we haven’t failed; we just have to think of something for afterwards. I guess it just means that we have more time to come up with an even better plan.” James was trying to be positive but the truth was that the longer they risked staying in this place, the worse off they would be in the long run. Nadia rolled over in her bed as best she could and let her mind wander, like she had years ago in the shower of the community housing, before this transformation process had really started.

  Nadia thought of her brother, somewhere in this place, alone and who knows how far along in the process. That had been another difficulty that Nadia was having with the escape plan, she refused to leave without her brother. The problem had been compounded with the uncertainty in his actual location or how to get him free. There were just some many details to work out and no information or know how to get it done. The thoughts of what could have been floated through Nadia’s mind. If her memory was serving her she should be turning seventeen or eighteen, she wasn’t sure, in the next few weeks. How different life could have been if she hadn’t been taken here, how her family could have been alive.

  First Nadia daydreamed about learning how to drive. Her father had allowed her to sit on his lap and steer the car around once or twice when she was younger, but only in the middle of nowhere, far from civilization. Nadia wondered if she would have had her own car, the freedom to drive wherever she wanted. Going to the mall with her friends, or seeing the latest movie in theaters were all possibilities for a life that could have been. But, now Nadia would never know the life she should have had, only the life you could yet have if she somehow escaped.

  It was in the middle of Nadia’s thoughts that the doors burst open once more revealing the dreaded team of doctors. But Nadia just continued to lie there, feeling so defeated. James called out to her once, but she didn’t respond. It didn’t matter anyway, soon there were wheeled off to their respective operation rooms and Nadia was put under by anesthesia. And her world went black like so many times before.

  Once more Nadia felt the groggy haze of the drugs wearing off and her mind in a cloudy state starting to become lucid. The numbing feeling of having one less limb of her natural body was of little consequence to her now. The bandages concealed the damage done to her body and the empty feeling she had where her leg had once been was a familiar feeling to her now. Next to her James was also rustling around in his bed, signaling that he too was coming out of his stupor.

  “Well good morning, or afternoon, or whatever. Hey.” James croaked out, his voice thick with sleep and drug induced slowness. Nadia didn’t even feel like talking to James at this point, having a sudden flashback to the last limb replacement surgery, when Rebecca and Michael had died. Things were beginning to pile up onto of Nadia and it almost felt like she couldn’t breathe under the pressure of it all.

  “James.” A teary voice weakly called to her one companion remaining. The sound of Nadia’s voice, so weak and weary, got James attention right away.

  “I promise that we will get out of her one day, I promise. So until then, try to stay strong.” James spoke softly, but Nadia heard him loud and clear. As much as she wanted to give up, they had to stay strong in order to stand a chance of every getting out of this place. Wiping the tears from her face Nadia tried to regain her composure, and it was just in time too. Elizabeth suddenly entered the room with the head doctor. Elizabeth had a harsh expression as usual and her hair was pulled into a tight bun, with not a hair out of place.

  “Since you have already been through two limb replacement surgeries already we have decided to attach and turn on the new limb right away. In order to keep with the schedule of course.” A swift nod had the doctor rush over to Nadia’s side while rolling over the ever familiar cart that held her new leg. Even though Nadia had been through two surgeries and the accompanying connections and stimulation, didn’t mean she would ever get used to the pain that came with it.

  “This will pinch a bit.” The head doctor spoke quickly before shoving the ball end of the new leg into the receptive hip joint that was installed not even a few days ago. The pain from the joint was still fresh and so the connection was excruciatingly painful and Nadia couldn’t help letting out a small scream of pain.

  Gripping the sheets with all of her might Nadia almost didn’t realize that they were proceeding directly to the stimulation part of the connection process. When the electric current passed through her and stimulated the nerves and brain connection it was like white hot fire filling her mind. Her machine hand that gripped the sheets ripped them clear off the bed but the pain caught up with Nadia quickly and she passed right out.

  Jame
s eyed the head doctor as he swiveled in his chair to face him. Dread and the knowledge of the impending pain made James flinch when the doctor rolled his cart of limbs up to James. With an audible gulp James chose to look away as the doctor prepped for the connection. Forcing himself to take a deep breath James was caught off guard with the immense pain of the forced insertion of the new leg. And like Nadia it was immediately followed by the electric stimulation. He too succumbed to the dreamless sleep of unconsciousness.

  An unknown amount of time later Nadia was awakening once more to a dull ache in her hip joint and a mental soreness as well. James was already sitting up but he was merely staring straight ahead. Nadia remained laying down but turned her head to get a better look at James. For a few long moments neither of them said anything. They were still coming to terms with their missed opportunity and yet another loss of their humanity. Then Nadia opened her mouth.

  “I miss them, all of them.” James broke his stare straight ahead and moved to look at Nadia. With a sigh he laid back down on his bed, keeping eye contact with Nadia.

  “Me too.” That was all that James could get out without losing himself to his emotions. So neither of them spoke, they just laid on their backs, staring at each other. The raw emotional pain of all that had been done to them and all that they had lost was eating away at them both.

  Then, as they lay there, nearly ready to give up completely an alarm went off. Nadia and James were caught off guard, they had never heard the alarm before. For a few moments nothing happened, so Nadia and James wondered if it was just so sort of drill. But then some staff members came in bursting through the door. They looked frantic and began unlocking them from the restraints.