Enhancement

- [ 3 ] -

I brace myself, expecting the absolute worst. Grit my teeth and ball my hands into fists. Whatever experiment the throw at me will not ruin me.

The red glove of a Screener yanks on the belt over my chest, squeezing the air out of me. I cough and a few specks of spit land on the visor above me. The Screener freezes, then turns its black visor towards me. I swear the visor penetrates my soul and digs through all my darkest thoughts about the nation.

"Hey, hey now, calm down," a reasonable voice says from somewhere. It's female. "Screeners, get out of here before you hurt these boys."

With a looming death stare, the Screener backs away from my table. I cough out a shocked gasp for air. Did I really just evade his punch? So easily?

The tension of the room loosens eversoslightly as the Screeners file out. I hear the female voice sigh lightly and then her footsteps approach Chase. The walls slide shut again, blocking us all in.

"Chase Amari, right?" she says.

"Yeah, that's me," Chase says, "although if this was a normal situation, it would be super creepy if you knew my name."

I rub against the belts. How is Chase keeping his cool so well? I can't stand the human decency he gives her when for all we know, she's the mastermind behind this operation.

Unaffected by my mental remarks, the woman chuckles at Chase. "Sense of humor. That's quite admirable."

My anger flames at her words. I growl and throw my weight against the restraining belts. My table swings onto two of the wheels but reels back instead of toppling.

"Stephen Moore," the woman says. "You aim your anger at the wrong person. I'm here to help you, not harm."

"Oh, yeah? Bullshit!" I yell. "Chase, don't listen to her. Don't even do anything. These people are evil torturers."

"Stephen, I'm here to help," the woman says again. I can't get a good view of her, but her footsteps sound around me, circling me. It sets off all my instincts.

"Prove it," I spit.

The woman steps closer to me, grabbing my belts and unbuckling them one by one. First my chest, then neck. I don't know how more stupid she could be, but I'm going to pounce once she frees my limbs.

"Attack me, and the Screeners will kill you," she says. "One wrong move, and they all rush back in here, Stephen."

"Quit saying my name," I growl. It's really starting to irritate me.

"Remember, no attacking," she repeats, and soon all the belts are off. I sit up on the table, clenching my fists again. I train my eyes on her. Black hair hair pulled back tightly, almond-shaped eyes, and a hazmat mask propped up on her head. She wears a white baggy jumpsuit, and an AirPhone sits on her hip.

I glare at her as she in belts Chase next. I want the AirPhone, and I want to call my parents. At almost any cost, that's what I will get from her.

Chase staggers to a standing position, stretching his legs. He gives me a cool look, like somehow we can use this to our advantage. I nod to tell him I agree.

"Okay, have you both calmed down now?" she asks. We both nod this time.

"Good," she says briskly, popping the AirPhone off her side and into her hands. "We have lots to talk about."

She clears her throat. "Well, let's state the obvious first. You've both been screened, and therefore lost your citizenships in the nation. Instead of executing you both, you're now subjects in our Project. The Enhancement Project to be exact."

"Enhancement Project? Why is it called that?" Chase asks. He's suddenly serious.

"Because we aim to enhance quite a few things with our Project," she says. "You're lucky I'm even telling you these details, so don't interrupt me again."

Her tone sends chills down my spine. I sit up straighter, ready for anything she might do next.

"We're testing quite a few things, as I said, so we have an offer for you both. In exchange for your complete honesty in these tests, we will grant you re-entrance into the country. Only if you're completely honest with us, and we have means to ensure your honesty if need be."

My mind whirls. Re-entrance to society? Get my life back? My parents? Friends? All of it back again?

"That's too good to be true," I blurt.

"And will we see our families again?" Chase says. "Or is this a trap? Not that I expect your honesty, but I'd like to know for my own sanity."

The woman chuckles again. "That's up to you to decide. If you respect your nation, you should already know the answer though, but I don't care. All I need is a yes or a no."

Chase and I look at each other. We don't have a choice really. Either do it or die.

"I'll interpret that as a yes," the lady says. She taps on her AirPhone a couple times, cuing a new section of the room to slide open. An array of machines and hazmat people reveal themselves, and my jaw drops.

"Excellent," the woman says. "Let's get you both hooked up to the sensors and prepared for the first-ever experimental task."

-- -- -- -- --

something of both was the winner! the part you did know was the tasks, and what you didn't know was there was a deal involved with their freedom on the line.

Question: Choose a phrase: freak them out, mess with their emotions, or result in a failure.