by Valerie Puri
Examining the piles of her possessions on the floor around her, Marlene found her old garments and gear from her days in the wild. She stripped off her Elder robe and threw the purple vestment onto the bed. She dressed herself in the tan, leather armor and pulled on her sturdy boots. Marlene picked up the sickle she had discarded earlier, and fastened it to her belt. The sickle was sharp as ever, her finger could attest to that. She didn’t know how soon she would need to use it again, but it was best to keep it with her at all times now.
Marlene looked at herself in her mirror and saw a glimpse of the woman she had been. She looked the same on the outside, but inside she felt weak. Her eyes fell to the familiar rearing horse symbol that hung from the chain around her neck. It used to inspire her, now it overwhelmed her. It stood for something she was no longer sure she could live up to. All she could do was try.
Marlene pulled away from the mirror and moved back to the mess she made on the floor. She packed the remaining items into the box and put it back on the top shelf of her wardrobe. Returning to the fire, she picked up the poker and jabbed at the ashes. They gave way, crumbling into grey powder, leaving no trace of the papers.
54
“Go and get the blonde girl,” Sash ordered. “I want her to witness our little conversation with this one here. I believe they are old school friends.”
Sash had ahold of the girl’s auburn hair and was jerking her head around as he spoke. The girl winced, and instinctively reached up to protect her hair from being ripped out. Alex was glad he didn’t have much hair; there was not enough for Sash to grab hold of, not that he would give Sash a reason to.
“What are you waiting for Goggles?” Sash demanded. “Get going.”
Alex turned and went through the steel door leading to where he kept his subjects. Alex didn’t care much for Sash or the way he treated people. Sash never showed any respect for Alex or the incredible work he was doing down here. He wondered what it would be like to have recognition for his work – being able to transform one living form into another was amazing to him. With each docile he created, Alex felt a swell of accomplishment.
Elder Victor had recruited him years ago, just after his accident. Victor told him of the incredible plans they had for the Commune. The plans would ensure the long-term resource sustainability and social structure stability for generations to come. Alex was honored the Elder considered him worthy to join the cause. Victor had given Alex this entire underground complex and anything that Alex needed. Victor even gave him research materials from other Commune scientists. Their research was studying how to reverse the docile condition. Naturally, Alex had to deconstruct it in order to extract the relevant components for his work in processing subjects.
Victor understood the amazing transformations Alex was achieving down here in his lab. Alex wished he would visit more often to see the endless rows of his successes. To Alex’s disappointment, Victor never came to the underground complex anymore. Instead, he sent Sash to him with more subjects for processing.
Sash was insufferable. He did not care if the subjects he brought to Alex survived the processing or not. Alex hated failures. The subjects were more likely to fail if they were not in ideal physical condition. Too often, Sash would bring him injured subjects, some on the brink of death like Madam Marie. He shook his head at the thought of the wasted potential of these subjects.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized how much he disliked Sash. He always referred to Alex as ‘Goggles’ and never by his real name. In fact, no one ever used his real name – no one except Belle. She had been kind to him and even thanked him for the food and water he brought her. He had enjoyed talking with her. Since she worked at the solar farm, Belle understood science, and he was sure she would appreciate the intricacies of docile processing.
When it was her turn to undergo processing, perhaps she would participate willingly and not need sedation like the others. When she was a docile, he could still talk with her, but she would not be capable of talking to him. It seemed wasteful to lose a scientific mind like hers. Although, it wouldn’t be the first time Alex had processed a fellow scientist.
“Hello, Belle,” Alex said brightly when he reached her enclosure.
At first, she looked frustrated or maybe even angry, but when he spoke to her she looked at him and smiled. When was the last time he had seen someone smile? He couldn’t remember if anyone had smiled at him before now. He liked that she was happy to see him. He liked that she was nice to him. Maybe they could be friends for the bit of time before it was her turn for processing.
“Hello, Alex,” Belle said. He noticed that she looked at his hands, then at his pockets. “Do you have any more of those lentil cakes? They were delicious.”
He frowned. He should have thought to bring her something. It was nice to bring things for friends, wasn’t it? Alex made a mental note to remember to bring her something next time he saw her. He thought since he didn’t bring anything he should apologize. That’s what friends did. At least what he thought they did.
“I’m sorry.” The words sounded right. “I will bring you some next time.”
“That’s all right.” Belle was still smiling as she spoke.
Alex relaxed, knowing he had done the right thing. “I’m supposed to bring you with me. Sash has someone he wants you to see.”
Belle stopped smiling, and she began fidgeting with her hands. “Who does Sash want me to see?”
“I don’t know, but he said she is one of your school friends,” Alex said.
Alex thought he heard Belle whisper, “Oh no,” to herself. Looking at her more closely, he noticed her face was pale. Alex wanted her to keep smiling. He didn’t like that what he said made her stop smiling. Maybe when she saw her friend she would smile again. Alex walked over to the numeric keypad to the left of Belle’s enclosure and typed in a series of four numbers. The blue glass slid aside with a swooshing sound.
“Come. I will take you to your friend,” Alex said.
Belle walked silently beside him as he escorted her down the hallway. Alex glanced sideways at her. She looked concerned, but soon Belle would see her school friend, and it would make her happy. Alex wanted to see his friend happy before it was her turn for processing.
55
“I’ve found something.” Travis called up to Ethan from the bottom of the stairs.
Ethan followed Travis down the stone steps, careful not to lose his footing. The candle flickered with Ethan’s movement. He cupped his free hand in front of the flame to prevent it from going out. With each descending step, the air became increasingly damp, and smelled strongly of algae.
Ethan met Travis at the bottom and brought the candlelight closer. “What do you have?”
“It’s Jennie’s bag,” Travis replied, holding a tan, cloth shoulder bag in front of him. “And Marlene’s journal is still inside.”
Ethan brought the candle closer to shine more light on the bag. There were stains on the fabric Ethan didn’t recall seeing before. He pinched some of the darkened fabric between his fingers. It was damp. He brought his fingers closer to the candle and saw that they were red.
“Fresh blood,” Ethan’s stomach churned with worry. “Show me where you found the bag.”
“It was right over there at the base of the steps, next to the wall,” Travis pointed to the ground a few paces away.
Ethan stepped toward the area and knelt down. Reflecting the candlelight was a small pool of fresh blood near the base of the steps. Little red splatters surrounded the area and trailed up the steps in an inconsistent pattern that made him doubt Jennie had simply walked down the steps. Ethan clenched his fists so hard he snapped the candle in half. The top fell to the ground and was extinguished in a pool of blood. Ethan was left holding a stub of useless wax. A surge of anger flooded Ethan.
“We need to find Jennie now.” Ethan said through gritted teeth.
“The candle’s gone out. How will we see in the dark?” Travis as
ked.
“It doesn’t matter. There’s only one way she could have gone. When we reach wherever this tunnel leads, there is a strong chance we will encounter Sash.” Ethan put his hand on Travis’ shoulder to steady him. “If we do, you take this bag and run. Go to your Uncle Albert.”
“Okay. I’m ready, let’s go.”
“Mind your footing in the dark,” Ethan advised as he led the way into the tunnel.
Together they ventured deep into the bowels beneath the Commune. The sound of dripping water reverberated against the walls making the tunnel sound endless.
“There is a draft coming from somewhere,” Ethan said.
“Maybe that means we’re getting close,” offered Travis.
They shuffled their feet to avoid tripping on the uneven ground or a root. A repugnant odor tainted the earthy smell of the tunnel. Ethan continued to feel a draft, but it brought no fresh aboveground air into the tunnel. After traveling some distance underground, Ethan noticed a distant light up ahead, slightly to his right.
“Look up ahead,” Ethan said to Travis in a hushed tone. “It looks like a door.”
56
Belle was completely dispirited. Alex dashed all her hopes when he mentioned her female “school friend.” He could only have been talking about Jennie. Sash had finally gotten her.
Belle’s hands were clammy, and she felt a cold sweat breaking out over her body. She was unable to keep up her act with Alex, and she dared not look at him. Impressionable as he seemed, he was not on her side.
Oh, Jennie, Belle thought as a tear rolled down her cheek, how did you end up in this terrible place? Belle’s mind was racing as she contemplated the scenarios. Sash could have found Jennie at the stable, or she could have been lured into a trap. A sickening sensation of guilt began churning violently in Belle’s stomach. Jennie could have come searching for her.
Belle knew Jennie to be stubborn, but was she really so stubborn to risk her life for Belle? She closed her eyes to let remorseful tears stream down her face. She felt responsible for Jennie being down here now.
They reached a large steel door, and Belle felt Alex gazing at her. He cocked his head to the side like a confused dog. For all of his intelligence, he had very little understanding of human emotion. Belle resented him at this moment. If he could not understand the horrors of what he was doing down here, or why she was crying, then there was no hope for him. Belle dried her eyes with the ends of her sleeves and Alex tugged the heavy door open.
An explosion of bright white light hurt Belle’s eyes when Alex escorted her into the room. She squinted and held up her hand to shield her eyes. The momentary strain subsided as her pupils contracted. Belle recognized the room; this had been where Sash tortured her. She hoped Jennie didn’t have to endure the same. The sound of someone struggling drew her attention to one of the metal tables. That’s when Belle saw her. Jennie was strapped down on a metal table, fighting against her restraints.
“Jennie,” Belle cried out.
Jennie stopped struggling and looked at Belle with wide eyes. “Belle. Are you all right?”
“Never mind me, we have to get you out of here.” Belle ran to her friend and frantically tried to undo the straps around Jennie’s wrist.
“That’s enough out of you,” a harsh voice shouted.
A fist hit Belle’s jaw, knocking her to the ground. She looked up at the towering figure of Sash sneering down at her. Stupid, stupid, she thought. How could she have forgotten Sash was going to be here?
“Goggles. Restrain this irritating little girl.” Sash barked.
“Where am I to put her?” Alex asked. “Both of my tables are occupied.”
“Tie her to the wall for all I care,” Sash said. “Just keep her out of my way.”
Both tables are occupied? Belle had hardly noticed the other table; she had been too fixated on Jennie. She slowly stood and backed away from Sash, up against the wall so she could see the entire room. On the other table lay a man who Belle didn’t recognize. He was tall, with slender limbs and a bulging belly. He looked older than Sash by maybe ten or fifteen years. His entire swollen face was covered in blood, and his nose appeared to be broken.
Belle looked at Jennie, who had stopped struggling and was watching her. There was a large cut on Jennie’s cheek and her lip was split and bleeding. Purple bruises were beginning to form under her pale skin. Guilt seized Belle as she thought of the terrible pain Jennie had to endure because of her. She had to do something, she just didn’t know what.
Belle sidestepped around the room, always keeping Sash in front of her, until she was next to Alex. She spoke softly to him and tried to keep her voice steady. “I’m sorry I caused you trouble, Alex. Please don’t tie me up, I won’t do anything like that again.”
Belle found Alex’s expression hard to read because of his tinted goggles, but she noticed the corners of his lips turned upward ever so slightly. His faint smile seemed to convey a pleased expression.
“It’s okay,” Alex said, “You can stand over here out of the way.”
Alex led Belle over to a work surface with cabinets beneath it. There was a window just above the countertop that opened into some sort of office with papers and diagrams covering the walls. Belle’s eyes scanned the surface; it was littered with lab instruments, tools, labeled vials, and syringes. The syringes looked to be prefilled with different colors of liquids matching the liquids in the nearby bottles.
Belle casually leaned against the counter and slowly made her way closer to the colored fluids. When she was close enough to make out the words printed on the labels, she scanned them for something that might be useful. Stealing sideways glances, she read the descriptions for each colored liquid. Red was labeled “Phase III”, orange was “Phase II”, yellow was “Phase I”, and the printing on the green tube said “Initial”. These vials could contain anything. She needed something that would help her get past Sash.
“Jennie, I think it’s time we play a little game,” Sash said. “It’s a game I like to call ‘I ask the questions, and you answer.’ The rules are simple. If you give me the information I need, nothing happens to you. If you don’t answer, lie, or say something I don’t like, you get shocked.”
Jennie fought against the straps. “I’m not playing your stupid game,” she shouted.
“That’s what they all say…” Sash paused, then sneered, “…at first.”
Sash moved over to a machine of some kind with wires on it and pulled it closer to Jennie. He took the ends of the wires and showed them to her.
“Do you know what these are?” Sash asked.
“No, and I don’t care,” Jennie spat out bitterly.
“Oh, but you will,” Sash held up one of the wires. “An electrical current travels from this machine, through these wires, and finally to these round leads at the end of the wires. When the electricity reaches the end of the leads, it has nowhere else to go.” Sash paused and looked into Jennie’s wide eyes. “But don’t worry. You see, when the leads get connected to something, in this case you, the electricity has somewhere to go. It will go through you.”
Belle shuddered. It was all becoming clear now. She herself had been hooked up to this machine when she was here last. She could not let Jennie go through the same painful torture.
Glancing sideways at the countertop, Belle read the label on the next colored vial. Blue is “Sedative.” That’s it, Belle thought excitedly. She slid along the counter until she was closer to the pre-filled syringes. Casually, she rested her hand on the counter next to them. She looked out of the corner of her eye and located the blue one. There were four other syringes between her hand and the blue sedative.
Looking straight ahead, Belle watched as Sash finished applying the wire leads to Jennie’s forehead with an adhesive gel. Sash flipped a switch on the machine, and the dials lit up. Belle’s fingers slowly crawled toward the line of syringes. She counted as her fingers touched each of the glass tubes with a capped needle protrudi
ng from the end.
Syringe one. Sash asked Jennie a question.
Syringe two. Jennie spat in Sash’s face.
Syringe three. Sash turned a dial on the machine.
Syringe four. Jennie screamed.
Syringe five. Belle grabbed the blue syringe filled with sedative.
57
Travis and Ethan reached the door at the end of the tunnel. It was made of steel reinforced with horizontal beams. Ethan pointed out to Travis a small panel at eye level which could be slide open from within. The bare light bulb hanging above the door buzzed with electricity.
“How are we going to get in there?” Travis asked quietly.
“We need to maintain the element of surprise, but there is no way we can force this door open,” Ethan whispered. They both thought for a moment in silence, then Ethan said, “I’ve got it. All we have to do is knock.”
Travis raised an eyebrow at Ethan.
“Whoever is in there has to open this door for us and let us in, but we can’t afford to be seen in case someone like Sash slides open that viewing slit.” Ethan pointed to the panel recessed into the door. “What we need is the cover of darkness. We need to remove that light bulb.”
“Brilliant,” Travis agreed. “With the light out, Sash won’t be able to see anything.”
“Unless some light spills through the slit when he slides it open,” Ethan said. “When that happens, we will be standing out of view on either side of the door.”
“What if he doesn’t open the door?” Travis asked.
