The Second

6.2

A/N: Welcome back! Any ideas what the ending of the last chapter means? Comment with your guess! :) P.S. Thanks SO much for your patience while I've been dragging out updates until all my lovely readers are dead... Those of you still reading, thanks for being so great!

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06 - 01 - 2089

G I S

Green. I wake up and see green. The blob moves and morphs into multiple green shapes as my vision clears. I can make out faces, sharpening with each blink until I realize they are all wearing green surgical masks.

I stir, feeling exhausted despite having just woken up. My limbs are heavy, and it takes me a moment to realize that it's not due to lack of sleep. I can feel the drugs still coursing through my veins, weighing me down like pure lead. Instead of blood, I can picture each vein clogged with liquid metal. Coursing through every part of my body and weighing me down.

I groan, struggling to lift my head. A masked women assists, hand slipping behind my neck and raising me up. A pillow slides beneath my neck, propping my head up a bit more. I blink, recognizing that I'm still in the same room as before.

"Thank you, Erelda. Please give us a few moments."

My eyes follow the voice, landing on the unmasked newcomer from before. He sits at the edge of the bed, intently watching me. His hands are folded in his lap, his posture relaxed. Something about his presence helps me to relax.

The masked women nods and leaves the room, the door latching with a soft click.

The liquid metal releases its hold on my body bit by bit. I test my arm, raising it several inches before it stops. A soft restraint is locked around my wrist. No, scratch that. Both wrists.

My eyes fly back to the man, any sense of calm rapidly dissolving. I'm at the mercy of these people. Just like before.

Just like before.

Just like before!

Tears gather at the corners of my eyes. I blink furiously, attempting to push them back. I half expect Dr. Acosta to step through the door at any moment, revealing I'm right back where I started.

The man reaches out and gently rests a hand on my leg through the thin grey blanket. "Calm." His voice betrays a subtle accent. "I will release your hands if you promise you will remain calm." He watches me with steady intensity, but his eyes aren't cruel. Where Dr. Acosta's stares always made me feel like an insect being studied, this man makes me feel seen. Truly seen. Not as a science experiment, but as a person.

He raises an eyebrow subtly. I realize with a twinge of embarrassment that he's been waiting for a response and seconds have gone by. I've been staring dumbly, internally sorting through my thoughts as usual. 

I offer a nod, never taking my eyes off him as he unbuckles the restraints and pulls them off.

"Are you in pain?" He asks.

Slowly, gingerly, I push up and lean back against the headboard so I'm sitting. I shake my head. My throat scratches as I try to swallow. I've got a desert inside my mouth. 

As if reading my mind, the man crosses the room to the counter on my right and pours a small glass of water from a bright blue pitcher. He holds it out and returns to his original spot as I down the cool drink and lick my lips.

"Better?" He keeps his distance, but maintains the same relaxed posture. His eyes study me, expression betraying a sense of fondness. "I must apologize for earlier. My men did not carry out my orders as intended. Things were not supposed to go that way." He appears genuinely regretful, but I know better than to trust appearances.