Son of Lazarus

Chapter 9: The Truth

October 3rd, 2040
4:45 p.m.

   Lily turned her head to stare back at Tristan's door. She could hear him screaming out her name and her heart ached for him. Whatever they were doing to him was starting to make him crazy like the other patients.
   "I think you know what today is," said the Whitecoat that was leading her down the corridor. She turned back around to stare ahead of her. "Today and tonight is experimentation day to see just how far we can push you."
   "What about Tristan?" Lily was disgusted by how easily the question fell from her mouth, but it had to be asked. She had to know what they intended to do with him and didn't want him to suffer anymore.
   "Not until tonight," came the answer. Lily descended a set of stairs after the man, knowing where it led. "His injection has passed so they're naturally waiting until tonight to continue with the experimentation."

   Their conversation halted at the bottom of the stairs. As they followed the dark corridor, Lily saw several doors on either side of them. Many held failed experiments and others housed those that had succeeded but were far too dangerous to transfer out.
   A scream rose from a door on her left, the sound making Lily flinch away. The Whitecoats had accidentally left the door open so Lily had a clear view of the inside when she turned her head. Curiosity nagged at her to look even though she knew she wouldn't like what she saw.
   The room was dimly lit with what she could only guess was a young woman sitting in a chair in the center. Brown straps reached up from the arms of the chair and wrapped around the woman's arms, constricting her wrists and ankles to keep her in place.
   Whitecoats milled around the room, one carrying a clear, see-through clipboard and the other holding a syringe that had a sickly green liquid inside its base. Lily knew what it was and felt her stomach twist into a knot, having an uneasy feeling that this liquid would be put into Tristan's veins soon.
   Lily jumped as the hand of her guide caught around her wrist. She twisted her head around, her hair whipping with the motion and she saw the hard, cold expression of the Whitecoat that had been leading her.

   "Come on, Six," he said, moving around to her side as though to block the woman from her view. "The doctor won't wait forever. You know how short his patience is."
   Swallowing passed a lump that had formed in her throat, Lily walked away from the open room, listening as screams from the woman rose into the air. They continued down the corridor in silence, reaching a door that had the word EXPERIMENTS written across the wall.
   As the man reached a hand for the access panel, Lily turned to him and swallowed. "When will I receive the next dose?" Her stomach twisted and she felt repulsed as the question fell from her mouth. But she had to know.
   The man rested his hand against the panel and chuckled, flicking his eyes over to her. "Not until they deem Seven ready for his," he said simply, a smile in his voice. Lily felt her blood run cold. She knew it. Her eyes went toward the door as it folded in on itself, revealing the room beyond.
   "In you get," said the Whitecoat, pushing against her back with a hand. "The doctor's busy with another patient right now, so it'll be a while before he sees you."
   A small, relieved sigh escaped passed her nostrils as she stepped into the room. The lights flickered on when they sensed movement, illuminating the room in hard fluorescent lighting. The first thing she noticed when they flickered on was a large metal table in the center of the room.

   Already her skin was crawling. The table's surface was marred with countless lines created by knives. Dark splotches of dried blood lingered as well, the scent of it filling her nostrils. Lily turned when the door spiraled shut, leaving her alone in the room.
   Exhaling, Lily turned toward the far right wall where a series of lockers were resting, all of which had a number labeled across the top of the cold, gray metal. She crossed the floor toward them and stopped when she caught sight of her locker.
   Knowing what was expected of her, Lily began to strip out of her clothing, folding each piece neatly before pressing her hand against the locker's surface. She watched as the door buckled and slid back, revealing a small shelf, a couple of hooks, and a large open space extending to the bottom of the shelf.
   Lily reached her hand inside and laid her shirt across the shelf before she reached her hands down to her waist for her pants. Footsteps echoed outside of the room, making her freeze in place. Her muscles were so tensed to the point that they began to tremble while her ears strained to listen.
   The footsteps were heavy and quick. If they belonged to the doctor, then they were walking right passed the room. A quiet sigh of relief escaped her lips, her body relaxing despite its trembling. No longer wanting to deny the inevitable, Lily finished pulling her pants off and tucked them into the locker before letting the door slide shut.

   She turned away from the lockers and strode across the floor to the table, where she sat down on its cold surface. Puffing out a breath, Lily laid herself down, feeling her scars sting as the cold metal touched them.
   For the hour she lay there, exposed to the air, Lily began to think. She thought about Tristan, about how they would die, and also about the possibility of them escaping together. The door folding open pulled her from her thoughts.
   Lily sat up long enough to see a man striding into the room. Beneath his white coat was a plain blue tee that was loosely tucked into black denim jeans. His hair was a very sharp blond that looked almost white.
   His face was angular, his jaw coming to a sharp point at his chin and his eyes were like shards of ice. When he passed her by, Lily could smell the scent of blood on him. "All right, Six," he said, a sigh edging his words. He sounded tired and wasn't even looking at her.
   Lily twisted around to watch him stride toward a sink at the back of the room and heard the sound of water. "I want this to be over about as much as you do," he continued. "So here's the deal. You behave and I won't have to use the knife."
   Unable to utter a sound, Lily nodded. "Make sure you're on your stomach," the man said again. "Arms and back exposed." Lily complied, flipping over onto her stomach and folding her arms so they were exposed. She even laid her forehead on the table, turning her head enough for her to breathe.

   The sound of water ceased and footsteps told her that he was coming closer. A hand rested against her back, stroking each scar that crossed her skin. Tears began to form in her eyes and her muscles all tensed.
   Lily felt him pat her back in a reassuring manner. "Relax," he commanded, his voice harsh and yet gentle. "Or it'll hurt worse."
   She forced herself to take deep breaths, willing her muscles to uncoil. Her body was fighting her; her mind screaming for her to run and yet she stayed. Hearing the sound of blades being moved across a metal surface nearly made her jump.
   More tears swelled into her eyes when she heard what sounded like the thickest blade there being picked up. Lily bit her tongue and slammed her eyes shut as pain shot through her back. It sang across her skin, biting deeper until she felt warm liquid dripping down her side.
   "Good girl." Lily felt her stomach twist into a knot, bile rising into her throat. As the blade sang across her skin, she couldn't keep her tongue still any longer and uttered a crying scream that bounced around the room.
   She wanted it to stop and didn't care who made it stop. The blade bit her again between the shoulder blades, the skin more sensitive there than anywhere else on her body. It got to the point where her screams turned into pleas for him to stop.

   "But you're doing so good," purred the sick, twisted doctor, ignoring her cries. "A few more and we'll get you back to your room."
   Lily tried her best to stifle her screams; to endure the rest of this torture. She knew why they were doing this; they wanted to see which of the Variations they held captive had regenerative properties.
   They knew she wasn't one of them, yet continued this experiment on her anyway in the hopes of bringing her telepathic powers to light. After a while, the blade left her skin. "Okay," the man said. "You're done. Julie, you can come in now."
   Lily recognized the name. Slowly, she pulled herself into a sitting position with her knees still on the table. Aside from Richard, Julie was the only other one she trusted. Lily listened as the door opened, one set of footsteps leaving while another entered.
   "You're all right," she heard a woman's voice soothe. "We'll get you patched up."

*****

   Lily had never felt so relieved to see the white walls of her room. When the door had spiraled shut, she raced for the bed and flopped down onto it, burying her face into her pillow. She remained like that for a time before she turned to stare at the wall which she used to visit Tristan.
   Fresh fear burst through her chest and only worsened when a fresh set of footsteps came into the corridor. They didn't stop in front of her door, but one over.
   Tristan...
   Tears swelled in her eyes as she listened to his door opening. Her blood froze in her veins as a voice spoke out, masculine. "Come with me, Seven," it said. "The doctor's waiting for you."

**********