Lethal Love

Kelsi

I really hate him... "Time to wake up, honey-snoockums!" That was my boyfriend, Paul. An uninspiring name, for an uninspiring gentleman. And for some reason, I was still going out with my government assigned man. "You'll be late for work...", he says in that sing-song voice I adore to make fun of behind closed doors. In truth, I'd love to break-up with him, but I can't. It's literally against the law to dump your "government-assigned spouse". So, I make due.

Of course I'm the only one in this relationship that works, so I get my butt up and out of bed. I quickly slip into the government issue, all safe, guard's suit for the drug testing ward, as well as eat a very healthy meal of an apple.

Work is about 10 minutes from here, and if I hurry, I might catch the formula for today. Oh yes, the new "love drug" that is government standard for every citizen to take comes straight out of the place where I happen to work. The scientists that develop the drug there love to strut their stuff and attempt to be the first one to break lucky 21 of her streak. In truth, they are all overconfident in their skills, but that's just what I think. Honestly, if I wanted, I could do all their jobs for them. But I don't really run that way.

"I'm off", I practically have to shriek over the music that Paul can't live without. Man, it's so irritating. "Take care!", is his only reply. On my way down to the bike (again, government issue transportation) I take 2 pills of the less lethal, less potent love drug they give to us civilians. Except I have a very odd, somewhat new immunity to the stuff. I guess my body doesn't like this month's issue. No matter, I get on my bike, and prepare myself for,what is sure going to be, one hell of a day.

Finally arriving at work after about 10 minutes of strenuous biking, I begin my morning rounds. In truth, I really do not have to do this, but it's company policy. Some days, I sneak enough food for the patients in the 20th ward, because they are the ones who need it the most.

The 20th ward is filled with what the GKE love to call "villains of the state", which is code for "people who have a natural resistance to the love drug". We've had many of them come in from a few of our recent years, but one in particular I like to visit. Her name is subject 21. Never had a real name, or at least if she did, it was lost a long time ago. I visit her, but she almost never cares if I'm in the room or not. Her eyes are blind-folded, her ears are covered, and she's strapped to a table like a science project gone wrong.

Swiftly, and very quietly, I switch 21's I.V., which should be pumping the drug 24/7, with water and nutrients, so she doesn't die from starvation. Today will be the end all for that.

When I finish working the I.V., I loosen a few straps, to make it tad easier for when I come back later. Then, I head to 22's room.

Subject 022 isn't as famous as 21, but she's got a reputation all her own. Unlike many of the other "villains", 22 learned to stay hidden. How to survive on her own, how to blend. It took years for the scientists to even get her on their radar, and once they did, it took even longer for the to gauge her exact location. But they caught her too, so she's in the 20th ward right next to 21.

Again, I quietly slip in to change the I.V.s, only to find 22 isn't fully unconscious. I switch the I.V, and while doing that, I whisper in her ear "My name is Kelsi. And I'm going to break you out of here." With that, I also loosen her straps, leave the room, and go about my duty as a guard, as peacefully as I can manage.

Want to learn a little secret? In truth, I find what they are doing to the test subjects here far less than humane. I choose to go covert ops with my little ideas about how this place should be run. Tweaking a formula to make it less potent, feeding subjects, and helping out the GKE as little as possible is the way I do my part. But really, I wonder what a little double crosser like me can do to change the world. Well, we are about to find out.