EXPERIMENT

by Cyma Rizwaan Khan

  Zyron Region-FOUR

  Natalie took off the mask as she entered the massive room on board the Space Warrior One. The ship was spectacular, there was no doubt about it. Starting a new life on it, would be a good experience. She went over to the desk that looked bright and shiny.

  “Natalie,” Major Rick said and Natalie turned to him.

  “Yes?”

  “What are we going to do about the captives?”

  Natalie walked over to the table, which must have been the work table of Commander Krole, who had escaped and left Zyron in a shuttlecraft before the resistance army could get to them. “Tell them we’re going to imprison anyone who still owes their loyalty to the Zyre government or the Khaltars,” she said. “Anyone who denounces them and takes our side, give them pardon. Let them go back to their families.”

  They were still talking when Shay walked in, carrying one of the prisoners. “Natalie,” she said, shoving the prisoner towards her on the floor. “Here’s the one you asked for.”

  The man was on his knees, his hands cuffed in front of him and his face looked nothing like the way it was when Natalie used to see him on broadcasts. “Please,” the man implored. “Please don’t hurt me! I’ll do whatever you want! I…I’ll be part of the new government! I’ll follow your orders just like I followed theirs! Just please don’t hurt me!” The man started crying.

  “Ortiz,” Natalie said. “Get up.”

  Ortiz looked like he was afraid to even do that. “You shot our leader,” she said. “The penalty for that is death.”

  “Please,” the man cried. “It was a mistake! I didn’t know! I was blinded by power! Please! You need to listen to me I have a family!”

  For a second Natalie considered shooting the man in the face, killing him exactly like he had killed Connor. Everyone who had made their lives miserable, including Officer Kei, were their prisoners now. If they killed one or two it wouldn’t be so wrong, but to Natalie it seemed a lot like becoming like their same people they were fighting. So she chose another punishment instead. “Put him back in the cells,” she said. “Let’s see how good they do when they’re left in a bleak prison for the rest of their lives.”

  When Shay left with Ortiz who was still begging and crying, Major Rick stayed. “I found the twenty-four other men who were supposed to be patient zero, along with Lane,” he said. “Nine of them died during the experiment stage, and the remaining fifteen were quarantined. One of them died despite Professor Chandler’s efforts, she was in really bad shape, but at least now the professor has perfected the antidote. The fourteen other patients are now clean of the virus and recovering. Their health is getting better every day since the antidote was administered. The professor says you might want to take a look at the reports,” Rick said and handed her a folder. Natalie took it, skimmed through and then placed it on the table. “I’ll look into it, Major. Anything else?”

  “Natalie,” Major Rick said. “I just wanted to say I’m glad Connor made the decision to nominate you.”

  “He must have seen it,” Natalie said. “He must have known that mission was suicide.”

  “Sometimes you have to make sacrifices,” the Major said. “For the greater good.”

  Natalie looked at the massive, brightly lit space around her and walked up to the massive window which gave her a view of Zyron she had never seen before. In the faded reflection, she could have sworn she saw Lane’s face for a second and he was smiling. “For the greater good.”

  THE END