traitor; 001

001

      The room was painted in all white paint, the floors were white marble, the only color in the room being the occasional lines of the rainbow painted, spaced out along the walls and the floor. The rainbow room, it was called. Children, wearing hospital gowns, play with the toys and puzzles scattered around the room. In the corner, away from all of the other children, is where 002 resides. She is too playing a game. The game requires a tall board-like structure with pegs pultruding outward and round disks which resemble a checker piece. At the bottom of the structure are an array of numbers. The aim of the game is to drop the disk through the slot, where it will land in the section of a number. 002 chooses number one. 

She was determined, to say the least. She had been trying to get the disk to land in number one for some time now. She wasn't planning on giving up anytime soon. 

"Children!" She hears her Papa's voice as he enters the rainbow room, the doors making a screeching noise behind him. 

All of the children quickly abandon their toys and get into two lines, facing one another. Every child, apart from 002, had their heads shaved down to the scalp. 002's hair was in a bob cut, the blonde waves covering her face, shielding her from her Papa. Why her hair wasn't cut like the other children, she didn't know. She does know, however, that all of her brothers and sisters were taught lessons pretty much everyday, she only got the occasional lesson.

"017, the door please," Papa commands, said child rushing to hold the door open for his siblings. "Today will be a different lesson, follow me." 

The line of children marched after their Papa, 002 following slowly behind. Entering the room, a new face appears. He was tall, wearing all white just like all of the other caretakers, his hair neatly styled and out of his face. He gave a kind smile to the children as they walked in. 

"Today, you will make these lights flash, as much as you can." 

011 was the only remaining child, apart from 002, who hadn't yet tried to make the lights flash. The small girl slowly walks to the chair, sitting down with her hands rested upon her lap. The new caretaker rests the headpiece on her head, wishing her a good luck. 011 slowly tilts her head down, doubting herself. She focuses, only making one light turn on. It was still better than nothing, still better than what 002 was about to do. 

002 sits in the chair, taking her turn. The new caretaker, this time, does not put the headpiece on the girl, he only wishes her a good luck with a small smile, lingering around her far longer than he did with her siblings. 002 knows the reason why she didn't get the headpiece and why her hair wasn't shaved liked the others now; it was because everyone doubted her abilities and saw no use in recording them. She heard snickers from her brothers and sisters, except for 011. She sent a grateful smile her way. She blows a puff of air out, beginning to doubt herself too. 002 tilts her head down, focusing. Her muscles began to shake with the constant pressure she was putting on herself. She released, relaxing. None of the lights turned on. 

"As I expected," she heard Papa mumble. 

After the short lesson, the children reported back to the rainbow room to continue playing. 002 focused on her game again, sitting on her legs. 

"What number are you aiming for?" 

She turned her head fiercely, seeing the new caretaker sitting next to her, his legs criss-crossed. Ignoring his question, she slipped another disk in, watching it make its way down to a number, that wasn't number one. 002 sighed, aggravated. She turns her head back to the caretaker, who was still staring down at her, as his height was greatly above the girls. 

"Number one," she mumbles softly. The caretaker gives a tight-lipped grin, and a small chuckle. 

"How long have you been aiming for that number?" 

She shrugs her shoulders, unsure of how many days it had been, as she never gets to see the sun. The girl and the caretaker sit there, staring at the game, "Your Papa wants me to train you privately." 

Her head, once again, returns back to him. "Why?"

"He believes private lessons would rid of the constant pressure and annoyance you get when training with your brothers and sisters." He replies, softly. 

"Okay." 

"How about we start today?" He asks, getting back up on his feet, extending a hand toward the girl. She grasps it, pulling herself up. The caretaker leads her out of the room, his hand still tightly holding onto hers. "We train in here."

The girl looks around the room. It's much smaller than the room she was in for the previous lesson, and darker. There were two chairs sat in the middle, a small table separating them. There was a machine on the table, the same machine that records progress. She takes a seat on one side of the table, him on the other. 

"What do I call you?" The girl asks, staring up at him. 

He grins, "Peter." 

"Peter," she repeats. 

He smiles and nods, "Okay 002. We're going to put this headpiece on, and I want you to try to move this can." He pulls out a small, red, can with the word Coke printed on it. "You'll need to tie your hair back, though. So we can get clear progression of your mind." 

He hands her a small object, one she hasn't seen before. It was black, and stretchy. "What?" she questions. 

Peter chuckles, "I'll do it for you." 

He stands up, walking to her side of the table, behind her. Peter grabs her hair, making her flinch at the contact. He places his hand on her shoulder, relaxing her. Raking his fingers through her hair, he slowly ties it into a small ponytail. He, then, walks back to his side of the table and leans over, placing the headpiece onto her head. 

"Now, I want you to move this can." 

002 stares down at it, "But what if I can't?" 

"That's okay, I'll teach you." He assures.

She nods, the familiar pressure rising to her as she focuses on the can. 

"I want you to think of something that makes you angry, sad even." He teaches. 

Her mind reverts back to the room with the circular lights, where the children were laughing at her and 011. It made her mad, those children. The can moves slightly. She thinks of what her Papa said after she tried to make the lights flash, As I expected. The can forcefully shoots across the room, colliding with the wall then falling to the floor, Peter's eyes following it. 

He turns back to her, smiling proudly. "You did it!" 

She gives a toothy smile to him. 

"I think that just about does it for the lesson today," Peter smiles. 

She furrows her eyebrows, "That's it?" 

He nods. "I don't want to put too much pressure on you, 002." 

002 nods. Peter removes the headpiece from her head, and returns behind her to take her hair down. It falls around her face. He moves to the other side of the table, leaning over. Peter uses his fingers to gently toss the hair from out of her face. He stares at her in a way that was unfamiliar to the girl. Heat rises to her face and she places a cold hand to her cheeks, questioning what had just happened. Peter smiles, "You're blushing." 

"B-blushing?" 

"It means you're nervous, or flustered," he says. 

"F-flustered?" 

Peter nods. He stared at the girl, knowing she didn't appear to be as young as the other children, she was much older. Peter, himself, is 20. He didn't know much about the children, or 002, but he did know that there was more to her than what Dr. Brenner had told him. And Peter, was going to find out.