Enhancement

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I gasp awake, taking in huge gulps of air. My body jolts upright on a cold metal table as pain shoots through my lungs. With blinding amounts of effort, I groan, my voice echoing through the room. The sound intensifies in the pounding silence. Already a headache begins to form behind my temples, beating into my skull like a hammer.

I crane my neck, looking around the harshly-lit room. The area is completely empty besides for myself and the table I'm laying on. I squint in confusion. The room is foreign to me.

"What the heck?" I mumble under my breath. My voice strains because of the aches in my body. I look around the room again before carefully touching my sore ribs. I can barely tap them without my hands shaking. They hurt so bad.

I writhe at the pain, laying back against the cold table again. Everything bone hurts and stabs and suffocates me. I breathe in a few shallow breaths of sterile air, the effort unbearable. What on Earth is going on with me? Where's my apartment? Where's my SkyTrain?

Recollections of the Train accident flood my mind, but they don't explain why I'm in an unfamiliar room. As the table freezes my backside, I try to remember how I got here or why.

My mind wanders. Maybe I should just slide my eyes close and drift away into an eternal sleep, forgetting I ever woke up here... but where is everyone? My ribs throb in empty response. I know I need a doctor, yet no one is here with me. Unjustified fear pounds through my chest. I soon realize I can't fall asleep... I'm too scared.

I shiver against the table. Slowly sitting up again, I skim my thumb across my clothing: a skimpy hospital gown paired with my bare feet. Maybe this is a hospital? Something deep inside me flutters like a nervous butterfly. This must be some kind of a sick dream. There's no way this is real.

I lug my legs over one side of the table, my back and ribs igniting. I pant again, digging my nails into my palms. I've never been in this much pain before, and it makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry. Once the flares of pain settle down, I feel my heartbeat pumping in my ears. The lack of sound is tortuous, threatening.

A chilling voice shatters the silence of the room. "Welcome to the Enhancement Project," the voice draws out.

"W-What?" I say. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, warning me to run but I know I can't. I hurt so much I can't move, can't breathe. The eerie voice continues its speech as I search the room for a nonexistent exit. I'm afraid of everything, even my own injured body.

"Your compulsory assessment will begin now."

Compulsory assessment? I think stupidly, wasting valuable time I didn't know I had. The wall in front of me shifts to transparency. My insides twitch when I see who's strapped to a table behind it, crying.

Nicolette. I immediately leap off of the table, gasping hard as adrenaline speeds up my heart rate. "No, no, no! No! Nicolette! Nicolette, no!" I'm half-yelling at her terrified figure.

I panic. My legs buckle underneath me as I throw my weight onto them, but I somehow manage to stumble across the room, hollering in pain. I beat against the glass window, calling Nicolette's name, but she doesn't see me. Nicolette pinches her eyes shut, attempting to keep her tears under control. Every muscle I move to get Nicolette's attention feels like concrete blocks crashing on top of me. My effort levels drains away, and I barely keep from collapsing on the ground.

The eerie voice returns. "Opening gas vents."

A yellowish gas releases from the two floor vents near Nicolette's table. The gas swirls through the air, curling and churning. I punch the glass with my fists, screaming louder and louder. The gas fills the room without hesitation. As Nicolette opens her eyes, the first wave of gas touches her skin. A scream from the back of her throat pierces my ears.