Half of Ruby

Chapter 8

"Ow!"

"If you hold still, it wouldn't hurt as much."

Ruby gritted her teeth as Doctor Merlan held up the Lynch Stick again, prodding her arms with the harsh metal instrument, forcing herself to keep silent. If the past half hour had taught her anything, it was that the pain the Doctor elicited upon her only increased with her complaints.

The Doctor jabbed the stick into her side. "How much longer?" she said.

"The Baton will take another five minutes or so, if you keep still."

"Oh, so that's what it's called!" said Ruby scathingly. "You should change its name to the 'Lynch Stick.'"

"Silence!" barked the Doctor. His sherry-colored eyes jabbed directly into Ruby's own, which rolled once around to confirm their mutual hatred. Nevertheless, she fell silent.

Ruby turned her gaze up to Dr. Merlan's face.

Numerous wrinkles lined the Doctor's scowl, like an old piece of faded linen. White crested his shiny, bald head. His eyes narrowed with concentration as he jabbed Ruby once more.

"You're done." Dr. Merlan stepped back from the bed and towards the single black door at the front of the room. Another door to Ruby's right, painted white to blend into the wall, led to the outside. 

"Oh, what a miracle," droned Ruby. "I suppose you'll be analyzing my DNA now?"

Dr. Merlan raised his eyebrows. "Yes. Thank you for giving me your blood sample."

"Yes, like you didn't stab me without warning." Ruby rubbed the side of her neck, glaring at the Doctor as he disappeared through the black door. Before prodding her with the Lynch Stick, he had changed her ordinary cotton clothes into a crisp white gown, and had ejected a needle into her neck.

"Are you coming or not?" said Dr. Merlan from the other side of the black door.

"Coming," muttered Ruby.

She trudged into the room behind the black door, arms crossed over the thin sheets of her flimsy dress. Despite the magic-regulated temperature of lab, she couldn't help but shiver.

But even her shivering stop as she stared at the room.

"Great Colehja," whispered Ruby.

Though the second room spanned nearly twice the amount of space as the first, the technology burdening its walls seemed to condense everything. Colorful codes and monochromatic images darted through screens of all sizes. A row of control panels ran across the walls, flickering with lights.

Technology. A wonder without magic.

Dr. Merlan flashed Ruby an annoyed look. "Are you just going to stand there gawking?"

"I never see technology in daily life," defended Ruby. "I can only learn about it in school. Well, you wouldn't know, being nobility and all."

Dr. Merlan glared at Ruby. "Don't act as if I were the one who forced you in here."

"No, but you were the one who stabbed me with a stick for thirty minutes."

"I'm also trying to get your boyfriend out of a death sentence, in case you haven't noticed. A tidbit of thankfulness would be appreciated, if you know what such a thing is."

Dr. Merlan swept to one of the keyboards as Ruby swelled with indignation and pressed down a key.

Suddenly, all the screens changed to the analysis of a single patient: Ruby.