The Human Weapon

Chapter 3

"Oh."

Was all Jackson managed to say. He was surprised, to say the least. Now he wondered, how could he manage to remain alone in a room with that girl? She scared him, and even though he felt mean thinking it, he was grateful for the glass door separating them before. Now he thought again, should he attempt to help this girl? To save her? He remembered her smile, and the way she watched him.

Did she want to be saved?

Alex patted Jackson's back as he walked past.

"Don't worry about it, we'll get you guys introduced in no time! You'll love her, she's a sweetheart." Alex said again, and then laughed a loud, booming laugh.

Jackson said nothing as Alex placed a couple files on Amy's desk and murmured a few words to her. When Alex turned back around to face Jackson, Jackson decided it's time for him to speak.

"She looked so real." He said.

Alex stared at Jackson. He knew Jackson was smart, he would figure out that girl was indeed no machine in no time. He hoped he wouldn't find out this quickly though. This was the reason people immediately retired this job, to the point where Alex has become desperate. Eleven scared them away, one by one.

"Why thank you," smiled Alex. "That is the whole idea, after all."

"Impressive," said Jackson. "I can not wait to meet her."

Jackson was still confused, but he plastered the best smile he could muster on his face. He would find out what was going on in this building eventually. He just needed to be patient.

"I have a couple of things I need to inform you of before you meet her, however. Come with me into my office." Alex said, gesturing towards his door.

Jackson nodded, and followed Alex into his office. He noticed Alex's office was much more spacious than his. It had three chairs in total, one behind a long desk and two in front of it. There were papers upon papers stacked everywhere Jackson laid his eyes. And when he looked down, there was even more crumpled paper. It looked messy, unorganized.

"Sorry about the mess." Alex smiled sheepishly.

"Oh it's no problem," Jackson chuckled. Really it kind of disgusted him, this kind of mess. But he didn't want to embarrass Alex about it.

Alex took a seat behind the desk and Jackson sat across from him. Alex then reached down into a drawer that Jackson couldn't see and took out, surprise surprise, another stack of paper.

"Let's talk about Eleven." He said.

Jackson gulped and nodded.

"There are a few things you need to know about her." Alex leaned in, very close, and lowered his voice. "She's... unstable."

Alex waited to see a reaction out of Jackson. But Jackson sat perfectly still, his mouth set in a thin line. Jackson had seen her before, his mind recalled the scary way she looked at him. He nodded at Alex understandingly, she surely looks unstable. At that, Alex continued.

"She is unpredictable. But she is without doubt the most valuable asset we have. Treat her well, but do not let her take advantage of you. She will treat you like a toy, she will try to mess with you, scare you, intimidate you." Alex leaned back, and spoke clearly now. "It's all just a game to her."

"Ah." Jackson replied. He really wasn't at all a words person, but he hoped that right now he would be able to come up with a suitable reply. He opened his mouth again, then closed it. He couldn't think of anything to say, so he nodded.

"I see."

He then realized that this was supposed to be his job, his occupation. He had had plenty of experience after all, according to his very false resume.

"Yes, I've dealt with someone like that before." He added quickly.

Alex smiled and released a breath. He was thankful Jackson had experience with this situation. Maybe, just maybe, he would last.

"You will have two sessions a day with her. In the morning and evening..."

Jackson realized Alex had not been talking about her like she was a machine that he claimed she was. He thought it was interesting, the way he forgot to keep up his lie.

"Her cell is the last one to the left in the hallway. But I assume you already know that," Alex looked up at Jackson as he said that, then continued. "Her name is Eleven, as I mentioned before. She is around 19. That is all I know about her. Other than the fact that she's a freak."

Jackson thought for a moment. He didn't like the fact that he had called her a freak, for some reason.

"Anything else I should know?" He asked.

"Maybe," Alex said. "But it's nothing I know either." Alex smiled with his teeth this time. Jackson thought it looked like a genuine, kind smile. A deceptive smile.

Jackson tried a small laugh in reply. "Okay," He said. He felt awkward now, and his fingers began twitching slightly.

"Well, since you've already seen her I guess you can just head on down and introduce yourself to her." Alex said, dismissing Jackson with a wave of his hand.

Then, almost like he remembered something, he looked up at Jackson with serious eyes. "Do not open her door though. Not yet," He said.

Jackson nodded and smiled at Alex. "Sounds good." He replied. He was curious as to how his conversation with 'Eleven' would go. So with newfound determination to find out what the hell was going on here, he headed down to that ominous hallway that his office happened to be in the middle of.

After taking the stairs down, he stared forward for a while, just looking at how many cells there were. Cell after cell after cell. It looked a lot like a dungeon, Jackson thought. If they replace the glass doors with metal bars, it would look precisely like a dungeon.

Jackson began walking towards his goal. The last cell to the left. He thought about what to say. He remembered how ridiculous he looked, walking away from her after stuttering how he had work to do.

When he approached her cell, she was deep in thought. She looked like she was in another world entirely. She was sitting cross legged again, but there was no scary grin. He realized that she looked cute, when her face wasn't forming that terrifying smile. Her hands sat on her thighs and she stared forward with empty eyes. She had interesting features. A straight nose and exotic eyes with slightly tanned skin.

Jackson realized he was staring and cleared his throat, attempting to catch her attention.

Elevens eyes immediately snapped up to meet his. She stared and stared, and he said nothing.

"Hi." She said. Her face was still completely blank, and her lips barely moved to form the words.

"Hello," Jackson said, happy to have the chance to begin a conversation after all the awkward silence. "I'm Jackson."

He extended his hand then realized that there was a barrier, and awkwardly pulled his hand back, hoping she didn't notice. Of course she did.

She smiled. "Hi Jackson."

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Eleven. In the blink of an eye, she was standing an inch from the glass, glaring at Jackson, who again had taken a step back from fright. Her speed was almost nonhuman he thought. Maybe his theories about her being human were incorrect.

"Well?" She was angry now. Her eyebrows were angled down and she stared at him with menacing eyes. "Does this look like a zoo to you?"