MARLEY // Max Mayfield

Act 4 Prologue

Voices rang around Marley, their words gibberish and their faces blurred. The lights beamed upon her face were relentless and the sounds of her heart monitor quickly turned disorienting, she could not quite recall that morning, or rather, she could not quite recall anything leading up to the here and now, she could not think, could not speak, her eyes slowly falling to the floor where a large puddle of blood steadily stretched before her. She could taste it now, upon seeing the sickly red, the receptors of her tongue had awoken and her mouth had erupted with the foul taste of copper.

A low cry rumbled in her throat as her shaky legs gave and she crumpled to a knee, arms still above her carrying whatever weight they had lain across her shoulders, she breathed through her teeth, her head pounding as the voices registered as ones of concern and suddenly she remembered what she was doing, became aware of her attire and the wires attached to her skin. She was in the middle of an experiment within a secret base of operations, overseen by Dr Owens. 

The van, Marley remembered now, groaned atop her and soon Marley could feel her arms giving out, so she shifted and let the massive hunk of metal and parts fall from her form to the floor. It collapsed with a deafening crash, ruining a table and the computer that rest upon it, along with a surplus of surgical tools. She panted, wiping her hand across her face to rid herself of some of the sweat and blood that smothered her skin but it did nothing and only seemed to make it worse.

Somebody hovered a towel out in front of her and Marley grabbed for it, wiping her face immediately.

"While your time of three hours is infinitely impressive, I told you to go easy, Marley," Dr Owens said and Marley peered at him over the red -- once white -- fabric, huffing after a moment.

"Figured I'd give your guest a show," Marley said, gesturing to the shaded glass above where a silhouette backed away from the screen. "Plus, the quicker I get these tests out of the way, the quicker I get to go home. Where I'll stay, by the way, because you promised we'd be done not long after I started High School and yet here I stand, a day from Spring Break."

"You wanted answers and so did we, you have been given the choice to leave before and yet you stayed," Dr Owens reasoned, as a lady in a lab coat approached with a tall pint of water and a pile of clothes. Marley took the glass, muttering her thank you's before she downed its contents, "and there are people, higher-ups, who would jump at a chance to turn you into a prisoner, Marley, so we needed to be careful, so as to not risk exposure."

"Right," Marley muttered, she took off her shirt, eager to part herself with the sticky garment. 

"I'm glad you understand," Dr Owens nodded, smiling slightly, "you'll be glad to know this batch of experiments ends tonight. After school."

"Wait...tonight? Why so soon? Dr Owens, you know I can't do tonight," Marley refuted but Dr Owens sighed.

"I'm sorry, kid --"

"Don't call me kid," Marley snapped and Dr Owens held up his hands, the scientists surrounding them backing away ever so slightly, subtle but noticeable.

"Right, Marley...I'm sorry, if I could reschedule it I would, but I have a flight to Nevada in the morning and there is another...project that needs my attention," Dr Owens said, his eyes shifting away and Marley followed them, frowning deeper. "I know, I know...you've sacrificed a lot for this program, Marley, hobbies, friendships, relationships --"

"Don't," Marley said, moving forward, the blood seeping between her toes and decorating the underside of her foot. Somewhere, someone had drawn a taser, the sharp crackle familiar. "They don't think that'll phase me, do they?"