Grounded

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"Lydia, I'm not going to call security or cuff you today. You won't disappoint me, will you?"

"No," I tell Dr. Konrad. "I won't."

"Good girl."

To be sure, a Green ushered me from my apartment to this private dining room in cuffs, but I'm free now and have no intention of causing trouble. How can I risk it? Everyone I love is locked in separate rooms in this building. Dr. Konrad could have them all killed with a snap of his fingers. I know he would do it. I have no choice but to cooperate.

David and Konrad sit across the table from me, a heaping plate of ham, eggs, and fried potatoes in front of each of us.

"It's really important you eat it all," David says. "You'll need your strength for the tests."

I cut a slice of ham and force myself to eat it. It tastes like rubber. One of the things I miss most about home is the taste of meat. When Korwin told me chicken was created in a lab, that it was never actually alive, I didn't think much of it. But now, I remember his explanation. This meat is a cell from a pig that was coaxed into being a ham without ever being a pig. On one hand, I can see where it is the compassionate choice. Nothing has to die for me to eat. I've helped slaughter enough pigs to know the task is gruesome for everyone involved.

But the taste isn't the same. Not even close.

I force myself to swallow. "Is that why you practically force-fed Korwin and me at the mansion, David? To fatten us up for testing?"

He smiles. "Using your abilities burns a lot of calories. We want to keep you healthy. We want what's best for you."

I doubt it. Just like Maxwell Stuart, they want me to trust them so that I'll be forthright and show them what I can do.

When I think of Maxwell, it dawns on me that I no longer have any concern for the failure of his planned revolution. I don't care about politics or Maxwell's war. I loathe his methods as much as the Green Republic's. What I do care about is being free. I want my family and friends back. I want my life back. Right now, the doorway to both of those things seems to be through Dr. Konrad. I decide to play his game until I can win my own.

Once my plate is empty, I ask, "What now?"

"Now, if you will follow me to the lab, we'll get started," Konrad says.

David pushes his chair back from the table. "I'll see you after lunch for some additional training based on the results."

Konrad leads me to the elevator. We descend to the clinic and then come to a room that, from the outside, looks eerily similar to Test Room A in the manor. I roll my eyes. Not again. Has my life been reduced to a series of white insulated rooms? I feel more like a guinea pig than ever.

But inside, there is no wood, sand, or metal, just a dark room with padded walls and a mirror at the front disguising the observation booth. I look directly at the square of glass.

"What do you want me to do?"

Dr. Konrad speaks slowly, condescendingly. "We would like a demonstration of your skills, Lydia. By establishing a baseline, we hope to better develop how we can help each other in the future."

"There's nothing in here to demonstrate on," I say.

"Anything in a blue uniform is a target. Avoid the green. Greens are friendlies."

A man appears in front of me, out of thin air. For a moment, I'm confused. Where did he come from? What is he doing in here? Burly and dressed in blue, he looks half-crazed. He draws a gun, points it in my direction.