The 3rd Experiment

Chapter 15

|Tuesday, October 27, 1942|

"Two months?" I shout, tearing the I.V.  out of my hand and standing up to meet Marie's eye line.

"I'm so sorry Raya, I didn't want to go along with this."

"Then why did you?"

"They fired me. I only came back because I finally found where they moved you."

"They moved me? Moved me where?"

"Oh my god. I had no idea how much they were hiding from you."

"Marie! Where am I?" I shout

"They moved you to a military base in New Jersey."

"Camp Lehigh." She thinks I've asked her a question and she starts to explain but I'm all of a sudden lost in my thoughts. That's where my dad was sent. That's where my dad died. That's where they sent Steve. That's where I am.

"Wait- Steve," I say, cutting her off.

"He's okay. As far as we know."

"What about my family? I have a family out there that I haven't seen for two months!" I scream

"Raya, I know, I'm so sorry."

"Why are you here now? Why are you sitting here now and not helping me?"

"Raya, there's something you should know."

"Something more than me being trapped at a military base for two months without access to my life?"

"Yes." She puts her hands on my shoulders and sits me down next to her on the side of my bed.

"Raya, they tried to use the serum on another subject."

"So I'm not the only person being tortured like this?"

"That's what I have to tell you- They didn't make it." My eyes widen and my jaw loosens. I don't even know how to process what she's just told me.

"What do you mean? Marie, what does that mean?"

"They realized that the serum has to be compatible with the person. You and Steve had the same blood types, and I'm sure many other similarities, but the other subject... Didn't have the right..." She trails off, or maybe I just zoned out again. This overload of information is starting to drain me faster than the constant tests and exercises.

"So what does that mean? For me?" I ask, trying not to sound too selfish.

"Raya, they're going to keep perfecting the serum in you until they get another successful result."

"For how long?"

"I- I don't know Raya. I had no idea they were going to keep you here this long."

"Marie, I can't do this. I signed up to help my family, my best friend, my country. I didn't want to suffer behind the scenes."

"I understand-"

"No. No, you don't. I need to go home. I need to tell my mom that I'm okay. I need to be there for Lily and Eve. I can't do this anymore."

"Raya, please calm down." Marie pleads but I refuse to listen. How can I, after all that she just told me?

I stand back up, heading straight for the door. Not breaking focus from the handle. Marie reaches for me, trying to hold me back and I shove her off, not realizing how strong I've become.

I swing the door open, hearing the hinges fall to the floor and the door comes crashing down seconds later.

Through the hallway, I run into several other men and women, knocking them down harder than I meant to. I fight my way through two rooms to find another large one with desks lined on every wall and several more forming columns throughout.

I step forward and five soldiers run straight at me, reaching for my arms. They swing me off the ground and back through the rooms I just came through. I fight as hard as I can, which at this point is harder than I ever could. But, they still won't let go.

I twist my neck back and see my door as we approach but the men never slow down. They walk straight past my room and walk at the same speed as before. I stare ahead of me, facing the opposite direction of the men, and watch as all of my victims lay motionless. I pray that they're only knocked out and not dead, I have no idea what I have the strength for now.

I give up trying to fight them and I surrender to the path they've decided for me.

I'm carried to another room I didn't even know existed. In the center of the room is a large ice capsule fit with a chair just my size. I feel my back hit the chair and try to push against it. One man gets my left wrist into a leather cuff attached to the chair. I manage to reach my right hand around to punch him in the arm and free my wrist. But he recovers quickly and manages to make the cuff tighter.

The other men find a way to fit my other wrist and both of my ankles into their own cuffs, and it becomes a lot harder for me to fight my way out of it.

Just when I think they've finished, they move up to my neck and I feel another cuff tighten on my trachea. Then another around my waist.

I take one more deep breath, watching them all line up in front of me, and I feel a tear slide down my cheek. They leave the room one by one and I try to look around at my new room. I look forward to the door and use my peripheral to come up with what the rest of the room looks like.

As I'm getting used to the leather surrounding my body, and the cold new concrete surrounding my room I hear a hissing noise that makes me jump.

The hissing gets louder and louder until I see a tube of glass come up around me. It moves pretty slowly but it's still enough to terrify me. The glass sliding up almost has a blue tint and it looks like it's been sitting in a freezer for months. Then I realize what is happening.

Marie tried to tell me my fate, and it was my mistake to attempt to change it. The tube seals up and slowly but surely, the cold air fills in and freezes me right where I am.