28

From a distance, they laugh. But venture closer, and you’ll realize they were always screaming.

Khalani’s body was wrapped around something warm. Steadfast.

Her eyelids refused to open, and she nestled closer to the fiery heat that encased her like a shield. She released a heavy, contented sigh and eased deeper into a peaceful sleep.

Bright lines danced around her in a pleasant dream. She walked on the surface, the magnificent sun coating her in its rays.

Takeshi walked beside her, nudging her arm. She turned to him with a small laugh, and he mouthed something unintelligible.

“What?” she asked, grinning.

“Wake up,” he said.

Her brow pulled down low, and he repeated loudly, “Wake up.”

She sat up with a gasp, realizing that it wasn’t the sun shining down on her but the harsh, bright light in the barracks powering on.

Khalani instinctively moved to cover her chest, only to realize she was already wearing her uniform. She drew back, confused, but then remembered Takeshi gently waking her in the middle of the night to put it on.

“So no one loses an eye tomorrow,” he’d whispered conspiratorially.

Rubbing her face, she yawned as Takeshi sat up with her. For the first time, he finally looked like he slept through the night. But his expression was cold and calculating as he stood, the volatile Captain ready to take on the world.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Tired.” She stretched her arms over her head, resisting the urge to sink back down to the ground.

“And you wanted me to keep you up all night.” A smirk tugged at his lips, and her heart sputtered.

“Like you would’ve lasted that long,” she joked, lifting to her feet.

“Oh, Kanes.” Takeshi let out a dark chuckle. “I can’t wait to make you choke on those words.”

A wild visual entered her mind.

Takeshi tilted his head, eyes full of mirth, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

The door to their cell opened, and prisoners began filing through the hellish space toward inspection.

Her cheeks reddened as Takeshi stepped aside, holding out his hand for her to pass with a mischievous grin.

She smoothed the wrinkles in her uniform, tucked the stray hairs behind her ears, and cracked her neck from side to side, trying to ignore Takeshi’s dangerously tempting words that whispered in her ear, like a mini-villain perched on her shoulder.

She felt the heat coming off him as he followed close behind. If it were up to Khalani, she’d grab him by the arm, walk right back into the cell, and finish what they started last night, uncaring of the consequences.

One more day and she’d be able to.

They took their place in line, and the seconds felt like hours as the guards scrutinized the prisoners. She tapped the side of her leg incessantly, eyes darting around.

When the alarm rang, her body stiffened.

Dr. Strauss quickly entered the vicinity, and everyone dropped to their knees, keeping their eyes fixated on the ground.

“How are you all doing today?” Dr. Strauss asked, abnormally cheerful.

No one dared to respond as he walked through the long lines of prisoners, checking his clipboard.

The faster this would go. The faster they would get home.

Home.

Where her family was. Winnie. Serene. Derek. Adan.

She glanced over at Takeshi, her heart expanding, piercing through the dark environment around her.

Dr. Strauss’ boots came closer, and she pulled her wandering gaze back to the ground, waiting for him to choose the next unfortunate prisoner to be taken away to the unknown.

“Interesting,” he muttered just behind her shoulder. She flinched, feeling the heat of his stare burn into the back of her neck.

Keep walking. Keep walking.

“Let’s go with you today.”

Khalani didn’t know who he was addressing. She lifted her head to find other prisoners peeking at her, their eyes alight with fear, pity, and a glimmer of relief.

Suddenly, two guards were at her side, lifting her aggressively under her armpits. She screamed, kicking and fighting back with everything she had, but they merely lifted her off the ground like a toy.

“NO!”

A bellowing roar erupted behind her.

It sounded like punches were being thrown, and a few guards yelled, fear coating their voices before the buzzing of shock cuffs activated.

Takeshi’s voice continued ringing out in agony and fury. She tried to turn her head, but the Dealers forcefully dragged her away, with Dr. Strauss’ footsteps following closely behind.

Panic surged through her chest as they crossed the cavern toward the black building. Sliding glass doors she never noticed before opened, and she was pulled inside the dark structure.

She struggled relentlessly against her captors as they dragged her further into what appeared to be a…reception area.

A young woman in a white pantsuit sat behind a large marble desk. Her blonde hair was pulled tight into a high bun, and her narrow gaze fell on Khalani, lips pursing in disgust.

But when Dr. Strauss entered, she stood immediately, a wide smile plastered on her face.

“Good morning, Dr. Strauss.”

“Good morning, Rebecca. It’s going to be a good day today. I can feel it.” Dr. Strauss walked past her without a glance.

Rebecca flushed, watching him leave and adjusting her outfit. Once he left, she sat, quietly beaming to herself. Khalani nearly gagged as the guards followed Dr. Strauss, carrying her through double doors.

Her eyes widened as they entered a lab.

The lights were drawn low and multiple empty gurneys lined up in neat rows. But what really drew her gaze were the several glass pods along the wall, filled with bubbling blue liquid.

When she got a closer look at one of the tubes, she screamed, frantically trying to scramble back, but the guards held her firmly.

Floating in each tube were the prisoners chosen from previous inspections.

Khalani’s eyes locked onto the female prisoner selected yesterday. Her arms floated limply by her sides, her brown hair spread out behind her. The girl’s eyes were completely shut, and a thin plastic tube was inserted into her nose and mouth.

Was she alive?

Khalani’s gaze darted to the other glass tubes filled with prisoners, none of whom appeared conscious.

“W-what the hell is this place?” she stammered, dread filling her lungs as the guards forced her deeper into the lab.

Dr. Strauss ignored her and walked toward another male in the room who wore a similar white lab coat. He was younger, with short blond hair, his sharp eyes scanning a screen in front of the pod.

“How are we looking today, Seth?”

Seth lifted his head and glanced at the old prisoner floating in the liquid. “One one five zero didn’t make it through the night.”

Dr. Strauss tsked and studied the screen himself.

“Damnit. This continues to prove that age is a limiting factor. Something we need to fix.” He tapped his chin, deep in thought. “Empty him out and acidify the remains. What about the other subjects?”

“Subjects remain stable,” Seth stated, switching his gaze to the young girl that was taken yesterday. “One one four five continues to present with hyper beta wave activity after her preliminary session. Band frequency stabilization is unlikely at this point. We may need to dispose.”

“Hmm.” Dr. Strauss studied another chart, his calculating gaze intent on the screen.

The Dealers maintained a tight grip around her arms as they waited in the center of the room. For what, she wasn’t sure. But with every exchange between the two doctors the sweat along her brow increased and her knees weakened.

“Let’s give it another day. If there’s no improvement in her chart, we terminate the subject from the trial,” Dr. Strauss said without remorse.

“Yes, sir.” Seth nodded, looking at Khalani for the first time. She recoiled at the emptiness in his gaze, but all she hit were the hard arms of the Dealers holding her.

She was completely and utterly trapped.

Dr. Strauss finally turned to her, his expression cold and devoid of sympathy. “Put her on the gurney there.”

She thrashed and fought like a demon unleashed from hell. She dug her nails into their arms, trying everything to break free, but Khalani was no match for their brute strength. The Dealers eventually got her on the gurney and put straps over her body.

When she managed to kick one of them in the face as they tied her thigh, the Dealer growled, retaliating with a hard punch to her stomach. She heaved in a choking breath, her abs screaming in pain as the guards took advantage and finished securing the straps around her.

Khalani couldn’t move. Could barely focus. Her blood pressure plummeted when she heard the only exit slamming and locking shut, trapping her with two mad scientists.

Dr. Strauss leaned over her, staring down at Khalani with an odd expression. A gleam of excitement flickered in his eyes, as if this was his favorite part of the day.

“You’re a pretty one,” he remarked.

Khalani spat in his face, eyes burning with vitriol.

Dr. Strauss didn’t react with anger as she expected. He merely smirked, wiping the saliva off his chin, and smearing it against the fabric covering her ribs.

“Attitude is optimal for the aftereffects. You also appear to have a strong will to live. That’s good. Should help with the next phase.”

Her brows furrowed as Dr. Strauss moved out of her line of sight. She tried to lift her head, but the black strap around her forehead held her captive.

She could feel Seth’s creepy gaze on her, the anticipation heavy in the air. Shifting her hands, she attempted to stretch her fingers toward the latch of the strap, but Dr. Strauss reappeared, rolling a metal tray beside her.

“Now, I can’t say this will be pleasant,” he began, organizing several instruments on the tray. “But if you just accept it, this will go a lot easier for you.”

Khalani’s eyes widened at the sharp knives glinting menacingly on the tray. A cramp formed in her neck, and she could barely inhale.

Breathe. Just breathe, she told herself.

What she needed to do was stall him for as long as possible.

If she kept Dr. Strauss talking, maybe the Aces could save her in time.

“What are you going to do to me? What’s the point of your research?” she asked frantically.

Dr. Strauss’ eyes brightened as he turned toward her. “I’m so glad you’re interested. Most just scream, never understanding the gift I’m about to give them. Seth, grab the chip.”

“You’re telling the subject?” Seth asked in shock.

“Perhaps learning their purpose will have a positive impact on the trial data. We’ll study the effects. If it doesn’t work, the subject will be terminated. Grab it.” His voice hardened when he wasn’t immediately obeyed.

Seth walked away without a word and shortly returned, handing something to Dr. Strauss. Dr. Strauss smiled and held it in front of her face.

It was a small green chip, similar to the mini circuit board she’d seen once as a child. In school, the teachers showed pictures of old computers, wanting to teach the youth how obsessed humans were with technology and how only through our trust in the Governor of Apollo could they attain peace and order.

“This is a very special device,” Dr. Strauss explained, holding the chip steady. “It’s a transmitter chip. The purpose is to take over certain functions, like an override system. This is what we’ll be inserting into your brain.”

Her mouth fell open and every ounce of blood drained from her face.

Inserting…into her brain.

The sheer notion was more invasive and terrifying than anything her worst nightmares could have conjured.

Keep him talking!

Keep him talking!

“W…w-why?” Her breaths were shallow, and it was the only word she could form.

Dr. Strauss sighed, seemingly displeased by her unenthusiastic response.

“Simply put, humans have a knack for rebelling against authority. If left to our own devices, we elicit destruction at every corner. History never lies. Nor does it fail to repeat. To put a stop to that, we need a strict hand to guide us into a better future. And once this proves successful, we’ll distribute these chips to the other underground cities, starting with Apollo.”

Her chest heaved as his words sank in.

They were implanting chips into people’s heads to turn them into mindless puppets.

She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry as images of the Governor flashed in her head. Alexander Huxley was a machine that controlled their lives without anyone knowing.

Could this be connected?

“You mentioned humans.” She swallowed tightly. “Does that include you?”

For the first time, Dr. Strauss frowned, almost as if he couldn’t compute what she said. “I…yes. Of course that would include me. Wh-why w-wouldn’t it?” He looked down in thought and his neck twitched momentarily.

“You alright, sir?” Seth stepped forward.

Dr. Strauss shook his head and straightened. “Yes. Of course, I’m fine. Now, where were we? Ah, yes! Where you come into play.” He returned the chip to Seth and his expression transformed back to glee, as if the past few seconds didn’t even happen.

Dr. Strauss donned blue elastic gloves. “We’ve learned that to get your brain to accept the change, certain areas need to be impaired—primarily the temporal lobe and the limbic system. Unfortunately, a certain level of pain is necessary for this type of degradation. It’s unavoidable, I’m afraid. But now that you understand the great purpose you’ll serve to better our community, I’m sure you’ll accept this with open arms.”

He grabbed a long scalpel from the tray and started cutting her white uniform open, revealing her bare thigh.

“I don’t accept anything! You’re fucking insane!” She pushed against the restraints with all her strength, but they wouldn’t budge.

Dr. Strauss frowned but lowered the sharp blade toward her skin.

“No! No! Please don’t!”

Dr. Strauss paused and he actually gave her a warm smile. “You’ll thank me for this one day.”

Then he pressed the cold blade to her leg and began cutting.

She screamed and thrashed against the restraints, tears streaming down her face as her voice choked and cracked in agony, begging him to stop, pleading for someone to save her.

But no one answered, and her cries of terror stayed within the dark corners of the room.

She screamed till her voice was raw and blackness crept into her vision. Seconds later, her eyes drifted closed, granting her a merciful escape from the pain.

If there was one prayer Khalani needed answered…it was to never wake up.