I chose not to say anything as there was no point since talking to her was worse than talking to Josh; both of them shared this uncanny ability to think they were right in their way and everyone else was wrong or misguided.
“If your parents were here today they would be so proud of what I have accomplished through you,” Dr Liverfield declared. “I have been waiting for someone like you for years!”
“My parents would never accept people being killed for your plans,” I signed.
I didn’t know my parents but, somehow, I felt they would not be partakers of such a horrible treatment to get people to speak.
Dr Liverfield moved closer to where I was. “Tell me now how did you make the sound?”
I was unmoved by her new line of questioning.
“What’s this?” Dr Liverfield asked. “Tired of talking with me? You were so chatty a few moments ago.”
“Silence is the order,” I signed. “Isn’t that what your Council and Magistrates always tell us.”
Dr Liverfield didn’t even flinch when I said it, which just showed her determination to get what she wanted.
“Was there something you ate or some special medication you took in the last few weeks?” Dr Liverfield questioned. “It had to be something unique to your situation. We have tried so many different things on children like you, but nothing has worked so far.”
I could see she wasn’t giving up on her quest to find out what made me so special. It meant she still had no clue why I was able to make a sound and, in some ironic way, this fact made me happy.
“I thought you were the scientist here,” I signed. “Shouldn’t people like you be the ones telling me what’s going on with me? I mean if there was anyone who could tell me it would be you right since you are my creator.”
Dr Liverfield folded her arms in frustration, paced up and down and her military men appeared a bit nervous since they probably hadn’t seen her in this state recently. I was slightly amused and didn’t care much for her state of mind. I had nothing to lose.
It was my turn to ask questions. “What did you do to me in the last few days? How come I am unable to remember anything?”
Robbie’s eyes darted towards Dr Liverfield before looking down again and I realized they had done something to me so I couldn’t recall many things.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Dr Liverfield defended. “We only tried to help you. You have no one left to help you here. We are your only hope.”
I smiled briefly.
“Do you think your best friend Oliver was going to enter at any moment now and rescue you Marinette?” Dr Liverfield asked. “There is no one left who is for you. Do you understand? No one. So, let’s help each other and get things moving.”
I remained silent, which I noticed infuriated her.
Dr Liverfield threatened me. “I will get my people to find your best friend Oliver and kill him if you choose not to help us. It is your choice in the end and his blood will be on your hands. Take her away!”
Before I could respond I was dragged away by the military men out of the room as Dr Liverfield turned aside towards the window.
FOUR
Staring at the metal door had become my only hobby as I spent more time watching every inch of it than anything else. It didn’t matter, there was nothing else inside my room except for the bed and I wondered how long I thought I could last inside here before going insane.
The door opened, the young nurse appeared again carrying my lunch tray of food and left after placing the tray in front of me. I chose not to speak to her this time because of the camera, but hoped instead there was another secret note. Halfway through swallowing the food I found my note and the following words written on it: “10 days. Be ready. 11pm tonight.”
TEN DAYS! I couldn’t believe I had been here so long, but I was thankful it wasn’t months or years. I wondered what Oliver and Susie were doing since I had no way of contacting them now. I was hoping they were still planning on how to help me, but I was not sure anymore since ten days was a long time. Would they even figure out I was in Vinder? Were they even still together or had they gone their separate ways? I wasn’t sure for the both of them especially because of their history. The only comfort I had was that they hadn’t been captured because if not Dr Liverfield would’ve used them against me.
I started to have doubts about whether I could trust the nurse and whoever she worked for or was this another elaborate trap by Dr Liverfield to make my life more difficult. I realized I didn’t have many choices left and I had to take this chance to get out of here as staying here with Dr Liverfield wasn’t an option.
I fell asleep only to be woken up a few hours later by a sound at my door. In this room I couldn’t tell day from night and everything just melted into minutes and hours.
The door opened, the two military guys stood before me again and, in a matter of minutes, I was again inside a room, which was different from the one I had been in before as this room had no long window, which I found to be both unusual and disturbing. At one corner of the room were two chairs and some medical equipment with one of the chairs having restraints.
Was I about to go through another interrogation by Dr Liverfield? I was getting tired of this stalemate since she didn’t have much to tell me and I wasn’t going to tell her anything either.
Dr Liverfield appeared, but this time she was accompanied by a young woman, who seemed to be in her twenties, and who was being held firmly by Robbie.
“Ah Marinette, I brought with me someone special today,” Dr Liverfield stated. “This is Cecilia. She was working one day in the Council and decided to join our volunteer programme to help improve our society. Cecilia had the noble intention to put the good of society ahead of her own needs, which is something you need to learn to do.”
Cecilia looked like she hadn’t slept at all, was barefoot and wearing a gown similar to the one I had on. She stared at me, but didn’t look like she was actually looking at me and it was as if she was on some kind of medication.
“Cecilia, this is the only person who can save you today,” Dr Liverfield stated pointing to me.
I look confused as to what on earth Dr Liverfield was talking about. How can I save her and save her from what? What new game were we playing today?
“Cecilia is going to be my test subject today,” Dr Liverfield continued.
A test subject for what, but I had a sense I wasn’t going to like what was about to happen.
“Robbie, why don’t you show Marinette here the syringe,” Dr Liverfield mentioned.
Robbie took his hands off Cecilia and pulled out a large syringe with the purple liquid inside of it. It looked like the same as that on the secret farm in Thomson.
“We took some of your DNA and placed it inside Cecilia,” Dr Liverfield said.
WHAT? I felt so violated that this monster had taken my DNA against my will for her own evil purposes. I didn’t know what else they had taken from me as I still couldn’t remember all of it.
“You have no right ...,” I started.
Dr Liverfield interrupted me. “Shut up dear! I didn’t ask you a question and you are the one who has no rights here. Now we are going to do the second part of our test in front of you. Strap Cecilia down!”
The two other military men grabbed Cecilia who realizing something was wrong woke up from her trance-like state and began to struggle, but she was no match for the men as they dragged her by her feet to the chair with the restraints, forced her to sit down on it and strapped her arms into the restraints. Her eyes were white with fear as she continued to struggle against the restraints in the chair knowing something bad was about to happen to her.
I watched in horror as the drama unfolded in front of me and I wanted to do something, but realized my efforts would be wasted as I was outnumbered in this room.
I didn’t know why this was happening and whether this was Dr Liverfield’s way of punishing me for my actions yesterday by testing her method
s on Cecilia in front of me. This young woman was innocent and had nothing to do with yesterday or my sound-making ability.
“So, where did we stop yesterday,” Dr Liverfield said turning to me. “Oh yes, I remember now. You refused to tell me more about how you are able to make sounds.”
I couldn’t let this young woman suffer because of me, but I wasn’t going to play Dr Liverfield’s games either.
“I told you what I knew already,” I gestured hoping Dr Liverfield would stop this madness. “I don’t know why or how I can make the sound.”
“Is she strapped down?” Dr Liverfield turned to face her men.
The two military men waved as Dr Liverfield pointed to Robbie to get ready.
I continued. “You don’t have to do this. She is an innocent person. Don’t do this. I am telling you the truth.”
Dr Liverfield stared at me for a while. “I think you are not telling me everything. There is something special in you, which is triggering your sound and you know it. You cannot be that stupid not to know it.”
As Dr Liverfield kept on talking Robbie went and sat down on the chair next to Cecilia, who by now was quiet again as she seemed to have given up to her fate. Robbie took out the syringe with the purple liquid and was getting it ready to inject it into the woman.
“Don’t do this please,” I signed in desperation.
It was the first sign of pleading from me and, as I said it, Dr Liverfield smiled and I hated her for making me do it in front of the others and I knew one day I would get back at her for this.
One of the military men moved behind Cecilia and held her head and shoulders firmly while another grabbed me so that I wouldn’t make any sudden moves.
“This is your last chance Marinette,” Dr Liverfield said. “Tell me what I need to know and this will all stop and Cecilia will return to her cell and live to see another day. Her life is in your hands.”
Why did Dr Liverfield have to force the issue in this way? Where did we as a society go wrong to come to this place? I was facing a situation like the woman in the car explosion and, again, I was being a coward. I wanted to save Cecilia, but I couldn’t reveal my secret. Why was I being subjected to this again? I hated my ability. I couldn’t let Cecilia suffer because of me, but I knew I would.
I remained silent as Robbie injected into Cecilia’s neck, to my horror, the syringe of purple liquid.
FIVE
Cecilia’s mouth opened wide as she made a silent scream from the pain of the syringe touching the veins in her neck and I closed my eyes briefly unable to watch the needle going into her neck.
Initially, nothing happened as Cecilia’s eyes remained closed and I had this wishful thought that the purple liquid would have no effect on her at all, she would be fine and Dr Liverfield’s attempt to force the issue out of me would be a failure. A few minutes went by as she stayed quiet and I glanced around at Dr Liverfield who kept looking at her watch as if she was waiting for a specific time for something to happen.
Then it slowly began; first, one of her eyes began to twitch faster and then one of her hands started shaking violently and if not for the hand restraint I don’t know what would have happened.
By now Robbie had removed the syringe from her neck, but I realized it was still half full of the purple liquid and I was shocked by the powerful effect that only half a syringe was having on Cecilia. What was in this purple liquid which made it so powerful?
“She hasn’t done anything to you,” I signed. “Why are you doing this?”
My begging went unnoticed by Dr Liverfield and the men.
“This isn’t about her or you or me or any one person Marinette,” Dr Liverfield said. “The whole human race and its survival hangs in the air which you wouldn’t understand even if I tried to explain it. How can someone like you understand the bigger picture? All you have ever known is what you have seen during a few years in a teenage girl’s body. Your world is all about high school, popularity and teenage problems. The power of speaking would change this world forever and bring everything back into balance. You may think I am insane, but this is about society and the greater good and not your personal wishes. Cecilia’s sacrifice today will be noted for years to come.”
I didn’t have to think she was insane; I knew she was beyond insane. Why were people so fixated with saving the human race? It seemed like we, as humans, were quite fine going about society without speaking as it had been like that for years and I hadn’t heard of any problems with it. Felix would have shared such problems with me, but then again, I didn’t know if I would have listened to him as my focus on the last year had been more on my wish list of things for my sixteenth birthday. To some extent Dr Liverfield’s words about my view of the world was true, but it didn’t matter when an innocent life was at stake.
There was no greater good in what was happening in front of me now. This poor innocent woman’s life hung in the balance all because of me. Why was I being stubborn about all this? I should have just told Dr Liverfield the trigger and saved this woman’s life. This was pure evil and Dr Liverfield would keep on doing it until she got what she wanted.
I knew my sound-making ability was useless now because of those devices they had on their ears, but if I could remove those devices then everything would change.
“I told you again I don’t know how it happens,” I motioned. “Don’t you think I would tell you if I could?”
What kind of person was I to let this happen? I didn’t know who I had become.
Dr Liverfield pointed to Robbie to continue and he injected the syringe back again into Cecilia and this time the woman started shaking even more violently with both arms trying to break free from the restraints and her head began swaying to and fro and I thought at one point her head would come off her body. I didn’t know why the purple liquid was producing in her such an adverse reaction and whether my DNA had anything to do with it or not.
Robbie pulled out the syringe and I realized it was finally empty as Cecilia continued to shake and there were tears now streaming down her face as she looked up at Dr Liverfield and then at me in desperation. I wanted to look away from her, but I knew I couldn’t reject this woman who was suffering because of me. Her face started to contort in ways it was not supposed to as if she was being transformed in certain ways into something else.
Then, as slowly as it had started, everything stopped abruptly. Her head fell forward and I turned away unable to stare at her any more as Dr Liverfield smiled. “We are going to keep doing this every day with a new test subject until you decide to share with me your secret. I have more than enough volunteers waiting to meet you and see the kind of person you really are.”
I stared at Dr Liverfield, wanted to lunge at her, strangle her and end this, but I knew I couldn’t. She must have sensed my anger because she kept smiling at me.
Then, Cecilia slumped down on the chair and I didn’t know whether she was dead or alive. The military man holding her took off her hand restraints and her limp body slithered onto the floor.
“You are the only one who can stop this Marinette,” Dr Liverfield said as she ordered her men to take the young woman away. “How many more innocent people need to suffer because of you? Think about it and let’s try this again tomorrow. The innocent blood of these people is on your hands.”
Cecilia’s lifeless body was dragged away from the room by the two men and then Dr Liverfield and Robbie left the room and locked the door.
A few minutes later the two men returned and took me back to my room and, as they shut the door and left, I fell to the floor on my knees and started sobbing uncontrollably.
SIX
I didn’t care who was watching on the camera, but after a few minutes I stood up, sat down on the bed and made a choice to never allow people to be sacrificed again because of me.
I would make sure Dr Liverfield never found out the truth about my emotions being the trigger no matter what. Cecilia’s death wouldn’t be in vain and I would make sur
e her name would be remembered for her sacrifice, not for the greater good, but for protecting my secret.
There was one more hour left before the time when the nurse said she would come for me. I closed my eyes, but I couldn’t find any peace as Cecilia’s last few minutes kept flashing through my mind.
There was a knock on the door and, at first, I thought I was imagining it, but then realized someone was knocking on the metal door.
The door opened, the nurse walked in dressed in a different set of clothes. “It is safe now. The camera has been turned off for a short while. Here are some clothes and shoes for you. I will be outside waiting for you. Please be quick!”
Emerging Above the Silence Page 2
