The Amplified

by Lauren M. Flauding

  I glance around to try to make sense of this eerie situation. Everyone is wearing white, sterile jackets, and Talina is in the corner, gesturing to an image of an injured body on a large screen. My body! I'm hardly wearing any clothes and I have cuts and gashes on my arms, legs, and stomach. The last thing I remember is the bear attack and being taken to the air barge. I must have passed out. I writhe to free myself, but I'm held securely by two thick straps across my chest and hips. My fellow trainees look at me with dull interest, and then back to something Talina is showing them.

  "Here we see the victim has a broken ankle, which is something we can treat, but ultimately cannot heal," Talina explains. "However, these other cuts and this infected wound are relatively easy to fix if you know the correct commands. Let's start with this cut on her right forearm. Any volunteers?"

  I can't believe it! I think. They're studying me! I feel nauseous. A boy is approaching with a medical bag, apparently the first "volunteer."

  "Gordon," he says evenly, "clean, sterilize, and bandage the injury." He opens the bag and pulls out the appropriate items, then busies himself with disinfecting the cut on my arm. It burns, but I will myself not to scream. When he's finished, I have a tidy bandage covering the cut.

  "Nicely done, Gordon," Talina praises. "There's a deep cut down here on her calf. Justine, would you like to address this one?"

  Justine steps forward, medical bag in hand.

  "Justine, clean, sterilize and stitch the wound."

  Stitch? Stitch? Amplifier or not, I don't know that I can put my trust in a 15 year old stranger to stitch me up. I watch in horror as she numbs my calf and begins to thread the sutures through my skin. I don't feel much pain, but my skin still crawls at the sight of it. After what seems like an eternity, she finishes and cleans up the area. I think I might pass out.

  "Thank you, Justine," Talina says as Justine walks back to the other trainees. "Now, one of the most pressing concerns on the victim's body is this large gash on the thigh, which is clearly infected," Talina lectures as she points to my thigh on the screen. "Because of the infection, we will likely have to remove flesh and pieces of bone to prevent it from spreading."

  And with that pronouncement, I decide I've had enough. I've been lying here, nearly naked, while they have used me to practice their surgery skills. There is no way they are going to cut into my bone. While everyone is focused on the screen, I give myself a discreet, yet clear command.

  "Mari, find a way to remove these binding straps and get off this table."

  For the first time, I feel the Amplifier activate my mind, which is exhilarating and terrifying all at once. Everything is sharper. I glance around and notice things that might be useful: some tweezers, a scalpel, a pen. I finally focus on a small surgical saw in the pocket of Talina's sterile jacket.

  I make a gagging sound, as if I'm about to vomit. Talena stops her instruction and walks over to me.

  "Mari, what's wrong?" She asks, a slight edge in her voice.

  "I- I- I- can't..." I choke out in a whisper. As expected, Talena leans closer, trying to make out what I'm saying. In one quick movement, I grab the saw from her pocket and bring it down to slice through the strap across my hips. Someone moves forward to restrain me, but I swing my legs across and kick them to the floor. The momentum of my legs causes the table I'm still strapped on to tip over sideways, but now the strap is loose on my upper shoulder, so I'm able to free that arm enough to cut through my chest strap.

  I push the table away and stand to face a room of shocked trainees. I limp a few feet toward the door, then promptly pass out.

  _________

  When I wake up the second time, I'm in the same room, but now I'm alone with Talina. Her back is to me. It looks like she's cleaning up some surgical equipment. I realize I'm not strapped to the table, but something tells me I shouldn't try to escape again. I gingerly lift my leg and see that the infected gash on my thigh has been cleaned and bandaged. At least I was unconscious when the pieces of bone were being removed.

  "That was quite the stunt you pulled," Talina comments without turning around. I don't know how she knew I was awake. "I'm starting to think you don't like being restricted," she jokes, finally turning to face me. She has a cut above her eyebrow. Did I do that? I think. I can't remember. "Mari, you're not an easy one to control."

  Talina looks at me expectantly, but I have no response. I sit up on the table slowly. I'm anticipating another lecture, or a dismissal, or worse. So I'm surprised by what she says next.

  "Listen, Mari," she begins regretfully, "I'm sorry I used you to instruct the others. It just seems like it's more effective when there's a live victim, and these things are especially important now, considering..." she trails off, staring at a point above my head. I decide not to press this cryptic issue that's making Talina act so ... sensitive. Instead, I change the subject.

  "So, I'm not in trouble?"

  "No," Talina replies, snapping out of her thoughts. "I should have known not to use you for a subject of study."

  She gives me a strained smile. There's an odd silence for a few moments. I consider leaving, but something's been bothering me.

  "Before, when I cut myself off the table, something weird happened."

  "Let me guess," Talina interjects, "you used your Amplifier for critical thinking."

  "Yeah, I guess I did."

  Talina sighs. "That is a brilliant but potentially dangerous feature of the Amplifiers which should be used sparingly. Whenever you allow the Amplifier to access your brain, you're giving it complete control. You lose yourself — doing whatever it takes to achieve your goal, regardless of your morals or allegiances. People have quite literally lost their minds by giving themselves over too frequently to their Amplifiers."

  "Oh, ok," I reply feebly. Suddenly the boldness I felt at freeing myself earlier now seems like complete idiocy. It felt amazing to have my mind and senses heightened, but I don't like the thought of being manipulated.

  Sensing that it's time for me to leave, I get down from the table, only to nearly collapse when I try to stand on my broken ankle. There is a bandage around my foot, likely something else Talina did while I was unconscious.

  "Healing your ankle will take a little bit of courage, and it will be very painful," Talina says nonchalantly as she hands me a pair of crutches.

  "What do you mean?" I ask.

  "Anytime you command your body to speed up the process of healing, it's going to be a little ... uncomfortable," Talina explains.

  It doesn't sound like the most pleasant experience, but my curiosity gets the better of me. I try to recall everything I have learned about the body, and hope I say the right thing.

  "Mari, rejoin and fuse the broken bones in your left ankle."

  Excruciating pain courses through my leg. I grip the side of the table to keep myself from collapsing. I fervently wish I had not given myself this command. My knuckles are white on the table and I just want to detach my leg from my body to rid myself of this agony. Seconds feel like hours. Then all at once, the sharp pain leaves and all I feel is a dull ache. Exhausted, I fall forward onto the table, feeling like I could probably sleep for three days.

  "Well, you certainly took the express route on that one," Talina observes. "Next time, you might want to take your body through the appropriate stages instead of going straight to the finish line."

  I grunt a reply. Talina gathers her things and walks out of the room, leaving me alone and slumped halfway on the table. When the door closes, I slide down to the floor. The hard tile feels cool on my sweating forehead. I lie there for several hours until I'm finally able to get up and stumble back to my dorm.

  Chapter 14

  "Mari! What are you listening to?"

  I look around and realize that Janet, one of my dorm mates, is yelling at me. She's probably been asking me this question over and over, but I haven't been able to hear her. I stop the music on my device and pull the wires out of my ears.

 
"Sorry Janet, I couldn't hear you," I say sheepishly. "It's just some ancient music, do you want to listen to it?"

  "What does it sound like?"

  "Here, listen for yourself," I say, handing her the device. She looks it over for a moment, then cautiously holds the wires to her ears. She listens for a little while, then hands the device back to me.

  "I like it," she confesses, "but it makes me feel kind of ... weird."

  I shrug and take the device back from her. The old music usually inspires me, but I guess it might seem strange to someone hearing it for the first time.

  "Some of us are going to hang out in the Coliseum, do you want to come?" Janet asks, hopping off her bed.

  "No thanks, I think I'll just relax in here."

  "Okay, see you later," Janet calls as she walks out.

  The past few days it seems I've been spending a lot of time alone. I took an entire day to rest after the bear attack, and since then I haven't felt like being around people. I'll go to training and practice sessions, but during any free time I stay in my dorm.

  I go back to listening to my ancient device, right now I really don't want to think about anything. A movie Adhesive would probably be more effective in distracting me from my conflicting thoughts, but I don't feel like going to get one.

  A slow, pulsating song is starting to put me to sleep when suddenly the music abruptly cuts off and I hear a voice speaking from my device.

  "Mari, you have to get out of here. You're better than this, you shouldn't resign yourself to a life of Amplified enslavement."

  I sit straight up in bed. While the words, intensity and general intrusion on my privacy are all alarming, what agitates me the most is the voice. I know that voice. But I can't place it. More than anything, I want to know who belongs to that voice.

  "... you may think there is safety and prestige in the Amplifiers, but there are forces at work that are so much bigger than being able to do a few tricks. Mari, use your head. Remember where you come from. Get out before it's too late."

  And just as suddenly as it came, the voice is gone and the music resumes. I rewind and replay the song over and over, but I cannot find the message again.

  I lay back in bed, perplexed and confused. Who would go to such lengths to warn and threaten me? Is this a trick? Is someone here trying to scare me away from Training? But then there was that voice. A voice that comforts and haunts me at the same time. Not knowing who's voice it was is driving me crazy.

  "Hey Mari! Stop lying around and come party with us!"

  I just about fall out of my bed as Alia comes running up to me, shouting loudly and excitedly. She stops short when she sees my face. "Mari, what happened? You look terrified!"

  I hesitate. I should tell Alia about this, but I haven't quite processed it yet. I want to keep it to myself for a little while.

  "Oh, it's nothing. I think I just got startled when you came in," I lie.

  "Are you sure?" Alia presses. "I've never seen you look like that before."

  I attempt a smile. I realize there's only one easy way out of this.

  "Yeah, I'm fine," I tell her, "I've probably just been spending too much time by myself lately. Let's go to that party."

  "Really?" Alia exclaims, immediately brightening. "Great! Let's go!"

  With Alia effectively distracted from my crisis, we head off to the recreation lounge. According to Alia, this party is so amazing it'll change my life. But all I can think about is that voice.

  _________

  There are only about 30 people in the recreation lounge, but they're so boisterous, it seems like there are a lot more. Everyone is practically screaming to be heard over the too-loud music. Several couples are wrestling playfully in the trampoline rooms, and it's a little jarring to suddenly see so much physical interaction between them.

  Alia takes me straight to Jaren, who is surrounded by a bunch of other trainees.

  "Alia, baby, did you have to bring your stupid friend along?" Jaren complains. I don't make any effort to hide my disgust.

  "Aw, come on, Jaren," Alia teases, "she'll loosen up after you give her some."

  "All right, fine," He responds reluctantly. He reaches into a large bag and holds out a few purple and lime green capsules. Intoxication.

  "Where did you get those?" I demand, taking a quick step back from the dangerous capsules.

  "I found them in my dorm, what's it to you?" Jaren snaps, putting the capsules back in his bag.

  "We're in the one place where they're forbidden," I retort. "Don't you think an entire bag of them just laying around is a little suspicious?"

  "Lighten up, Mari," Alia prompts, trying to calm the tension between me and Jaren.

  "Whatcha gonna do, clam, tattle on us?" Jaren sneers, but I can tell he's a little paranoid.

  "No," I answer, "I think letting you all be useless idiots for the night is punishment enough."

  I walk away from Jaren, Alia, and the rest of the group. I hear them talking about me, but I don't care. I've had plenty of experience being the weird one and it's starting to affect me less and less. I find an empty trampoline room and lie down on the resilient floor. Maybe I am overreacting. Maybe it's just a coincidence that means some of the trainees can have a little bit of fun. But I can't get past the fact that a bag of Intoxication capsules, one of the only things that shuts of our Amplifiers, mysteriously found its way into Jaren's hands.

  "Mari! I agree with you!"

  Cassidy's eager face appears in front of mine. I'm lucky my instinct was to roll away rather than to sit up, otherwise we'd both have quite a headache.

  "Hi Cassidy, how are you?" I ask warily. She has the familiar, green Energy-capsule tinge around her mouth, but now, in addition to her hyperactivity, she has the glazed and unfocused look of someone who's heavily intoxicated. I really don't mind Tristan's sister, but I don't know if I can handle her intensity right now.

  "I'm great!" She replies, "I just feel fuzzy!" She's jumping all over the place, literally bouncing off the walls. "But I was listening to what you said to Jaren, and it makes complete sense! Someone's probably trying to sabotage us!" She finishes in a cheerful tone that doesn't at all match the intent of her words. I manage a smile. She might not be the first person I'd pick to have on my side, but her loyalty is endearing.

  "Thanks Cassidy, I really appreciate that you-"

  "And you know what?" Cassidy interrupts, "I think I know where those capsules came from."

  "Yeah?"

  "Yeah! Every once in a while I see this little guy creeping around the Coliseum. Sometimes I think I'm hallucinating, so I never told anybody about him, but now I'm pretty sure he's real. He's probably the one who put those capsules in Jaren's dorm room."

  "What does he look like?" I ask, hoping it's the same boy I saw that early morning in the Coliseum and not a figment of her imagination.

  "He's really young and has curly, dark hair, and a birthmark on his neck."

  "Where do you usually see him?"

  "Back by the urban obstacle course. I tried to follow him a couple times, but I can never figure out where he goes."

  I get to my feet, feeling a sense of purpose for the first time in a week.

  "Thanks Cassidy!" I yell as I run out of the trampoline room. I look around the lounge for Alia to tell her where I'm going, but she and Jaren have disappeared. It's just as well, she probably won't miss me anyway.

  I move as quickly as I can to the Coliseum, limping a bit because my ankle is still sore. It's a long shot, but I'm hoping I can get some answers. Somehow I think that this strange stowaway boy and the message I heard on my device earlier are linked.

  Chapter 15

  The Coliseum appears to be empty, but I keep hearing a continuous squeaking sound. I look around until I finally see some movement in the back corner. Squinting, I can barely make out the figure of Liam on a stationary bicycle, which is a slightly comical sight — he's almost twice the size of the bike. I walk over to see why he's still here.
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  "Having fun going nowhere fast?" I joke. Liam grins with effort, but a moment later his expression turns to a grimace.

  "It's not much fun," he admits, "but I've got to get this done."

  "Get what done?"

  "This," he states, grabbing his gut. "It's just gotten to the point where I'm tired of being the fattest one here," he explains with a hint of bitterness.

  "And how long is that going to take?"

  "Well, I've got a program planned out for the next three days. No sleep, no rest, just pure exercise."

  "Three days?"

  "Yep. Talina even excused me from training, and she told me how to manipulate my metabolism."

  "Liam, you're going to kill yourself," I protest, clearly concerned.

  "Nope. I commanded myself not to die."

  "Ok..." I say uncertainly, wondering if that would even work. I notice a bucket full of capsules on the floor next to him. I peek in. "What, no Pleasure?" I ask.

  "No more Pleasure capsules for me," Liam responds, struggling to talk through his heavy breathing," I commanded myself to hate Pleasure."

  "I hope not all pleasure," I offer feebly, realizing that Liam is really not in the mood for jokes.

  "Just the capsules," he says curtly, hinting that he's ready to be done talking.

  "Ok," I sigh, "good luck." I leave him panting and cursing on the bike, and make a mental note to check on him over the next few days. I wonder again about the Amplifier's ability to alter your personality. If Liam can make himself hate Pleasure capsules, what else is possible?

  When I reach the urban obstacle course, I can barely hear the distant squeak of Liam's bicycle. I gaze at the various cement walls and tangle of pipes and rods. I don't know where to start. Where would be a good place to hide? I wonder. I scan the top of the course, and see that one of the pipes seems to go into the ceiling. I just need to figure out how to get up there.

  "Mari," I command myself, "reach the uppermost pipe by utilizing the present obstacles and your body."

  As if coming to life, my body runs full speed toward a wall. I'm thinking I might smack right into it, but instead I run up the wall, then jump to another one perpendicular to it. I hop back and forth up the walls until I'm on top of one, running along the narrow precipice. I make a long jump from one wall to the next. My head is reeling, but my body stays in full control. I grab onto a rod and swing myself up to a set of upside-down stairs, which I free climb until I reach the highest pipe.