CELL

/ FORTY /

"Hello again," she said.

"Pedra," said Ryan, deflated at the sight of the one person he thought might have been genuine, but in no way willing to show it. "Fancy seeing you here. The gang's back together."

Pedra, now wearing body armour and sporting a swollen, blackening eye, raised a sarcastic eyebrow.

"The doctor will see you now."

"And I didn't even have to make an appointment. Now that's service."

Pedra nodded towards her employer. Ryan understood the gesture and, with the gun within kissing distance, followed it.

"Peddy's a good egg, isn't she?" Bradley asked, smiling warmly.

Not nearly as good an egg as the one appearing on her face, but I bet you have fun cracking that one.

"An absolute diamond. So, you were saying. Some shit about sheep."

"I was indeed. So, the shepherd tries again. And again. And, often, again. Sheep can be dense sometimes, you know?" She didn't wait for an answer. "So, what did we do with all the other participants?"

"Herd them back up like the sheep you think they are?"

"Well, you'd think so, wouldn't you? But you have the wrong idea, there."

"I don't think I do."

Ryan was tiring of the conversation. It was delaying him. Deliberately, of course. Now he had a gun – no, numerous ones now more guards were entering the room – pointing at him and Bradley there, his options were even more limited than they had been before. At least, then, he had the illusion of choice. Now, he had nothing. Only Bradley and her whims.

"We're not shepherds, Ryan. Far from it. We're here to enable people to be the directors of their own destiny. We want to control no one." She held up her hand as he opened his mouth to contradict her. "However it might appear to you, own only goal is to help Humanity. And we are so close! You are an integral part of that."

"OK? So?"

"So, all those you let out are no longer back in their cages. Well, not exactly, anyway."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"There were too many for my staff to round up. There'd be scuffles. Casualties. Potentially, those would include some of my staff, and we can't have that. They're difficult to get hold of, as I'm sure you can imagine."

Bradley paused and looked at Ryan quizzically, as if expecting him to comment on his agreement. He didn't.

"No? Well, believe me. It is. Our only option was to cycle all of them."

"You killed them? All of them?"

Ryan was aghast. The doctor professed her good intentions, but showed only a damningly ruthless idea of Life's worth. And how was he better than she? He'd released them. Freed them, he thought.

"No, silly. We don't kill anyone here. Well, almost anyone. I told you. Life is precious to us. We cycled them! I mean, we weren't prepared for such a large quantity, but we'll manage."

"What's the difference? They're dead, aren't they?"

"Ryan, Ryan, Ryan. You've not listened or learned anything, have you? No-one ever dies here! Pretty much, anyway."

"You shot them. Or stabbed them. Electrified them all, for all I know. Either way, they're dead. Sit, you even shot yourself in front of me!"

Bradley laughed, loudly. The sound fell flat against the walls of the room, as if it, along with him, missed the joke.