Generation Infinosil

Chapter Fifty Six

Chapter Fifty Six 

2043

It was two years ago that the fresh victims were escorted into the new village, two years ago that Paul and Jamie took advantage of this distraction and, with no other chance of safety, joined the new villagers. Going by their false names of Robert and Shane, they live in a modest house with a woman called Jane. Things in this new village are not the same as the other village that Robert and Shane left behind. In the other village there was a conscious effort to pretend that they were living in an ordinary place like any other. In this new village there were curfews, strict rules, harsh punishments and guards who were always watchful. They patrolled the streets at night, with sly eyes like a predator ready to attack. With their intimidating, all-black uniforms, they could spy from the shadows without being spotted. They were ruthless and trained to perfection. Whoever trained them wouldn't settle for any less than flawless.

The only consistency between this village and the previous one was the large, fiercely guarded laboratory building. Except whoever designed this one was taking no chances, no one would be able to access this building without legitimate authorisation. There was only one way in and you needed to pass various obstacles to enter through it. Passwords, finger print recognition, photo ID, they were all needed before entering that one door; you can imagine the guards wouldn't take kindly to anyone even attempting to enter without all three of these. The rumours said they were trained to immediately shoot down anyone who approaches them without the correct evidence of authorisation. Apparently they had learned from the mistakes of the previous lab, which Robert (then Paul) and the other rebels managed to break into, and which Shane (then Jamie) managed to escape from. By this point, after two years of living with Jane, Robert and Shane had gotten to know her and learned her story.

***

She had lived with her mother who was terminally ill. Jane was the only family she had left. The thought of losing her mother and her only remaining family member filled her with despair and emptiness, she would have done anything to make her better. One night she was in the kitchen wiping down the table, her mother was upstairs asleep and she could hear the faint sound of her snoring. She didn't mind that she snored, because it meant that she knew she was still there, and still okay. There was a knock at the door and she opened it to find a man in a smart, navy suit stood waiting for her. 

"Miss Hill?" He asked.

"Yes, how can I help you?" She was a nervous woman, brought up by a protective mother who always warned her that the world was a dangerous place full of dangerous people. Because of this she kept the door only slightly open so that she could shut it in a hurry if he posed any threat.

"I've heard that your mother is very ill and that she has been told there is no way to save her."

"How did you know that?" She snapped, with growing suspicion and narrowed eyes.

"I work with a company who develop drugs that improve the chances of survival for supposedly terminally ill patients."

"If such a drug existed the doctors would have informed us, I'd appreciate it if you could leave please, I don't need further torment." She tried to close the door but his foot swiftly moved in the way to block it.

"It's a new drug, the truth is the doctors don't mention it because it hasn't been tested thoroughly yet. That's where people like you come in, don't you want to give your mother the chance to get better again? Isn't that what you want?"

"There is absolutely no reason why I should believe a word you say, please remove your foot." She said, as firmly as she could.

"Okay then, but just ask yourself how you'll feel at your mother's funeral when you know that you had a chance to prevent her illness from progressing any further and you didn't take it. How will you feel then?"