Branded: Chapter 1
Down the corridor, lined with dull tiles, past the elevators, beyond the sea of murmuring patients, was a room. In the room there was naught but a barred window, a plain metal table with a plain metal chair, and a plain bed, with plain white covers. And upon that plain bed was a girl, dressed plainly. Loose beige sweats, and a plain white tee clothed her. The girl herself was anything but plain. Dark hair, stained with purple, covered sharp, piercing eyes, glazed over, shadowing a narrow nose and firm lips. A slim, boney body covered with burns and scars. Three burns on her left arm, all narrow and parallel. On her opposite arm, a circular burn, with a symbol in the middle, like a brand. On the nape of her neck, hidden by her hair, was a small scar, hidden from sight. Curling under her ear, was a tattoo of a snake, peeking out from under her earlobe. Her bangs hid her face in a startling splash of black and purple. Dull eyes stared out at the barred sky.
The metal door suddenly swung open with a bang, interrupting the loud silence. The girl didn’t even blink at the intrusion.
“Q?” The man in scrubs asked cautiously. “Q, Doctor Tribite will see you now.” The girl, Q, robotically turned her head and stood, as the man, flanked by two other scrubs, walked to her. Between the other two men was a strait jacket, its purpose and who it was for, was obvious. Going behind Q, the two men began to strap her into the jacket, meeting no resistance. Once done adjusting the straps, the three men began to march her down the halls. Few other patients lined the halls, murmuring to themselves incoherently, shadowed by hovering scrubs.
The men led her down the hall, past the desk, stopped before the elevator, slid an ID card and descended three floors. They exited the elevator with another swipe of the ID, and entered a hall lined with exotic plants, and took a left at the large glass window. Down they went three more flights of stairs. At the bottom there was another door that had to be accessed by the ID. Beyond the door was a simple concrete hall, a door inscribed with a number and a letter every few feet, decorated the walls.
The men brought her to the door at the end of the hall, the one inscribed “Laboratory”. They stopped before it, swiped the ID for the last time and typed in a password. Inside was a chair, similar to the one you’d find in a dentist’s office. However this one had no headrest and was covered in straps. Next to the table was a small metal tray, holding various medical instruments. The men released Q from the straight jacket only to buckle her into the chair, restraining her. Still, Q could do nothing but stare blankly ahead.
The door opened again, and the lights became blinding. Faintly, in the back of her mind, Q registered the sound of a button, approaching footsteps and a voice. “Subject Q-4: Has been showing signs of resisting the Pacifier located at the base of her spine. The date is Friday, July 23, 2153. The time is 17:32. Procedure: Transplanting an improved Pacifier in Q-4’s spinal cord.” Another click, and the voice stopped, and the footsteps became louder. There was a slight rustling from the tray, as the man placed something down. A dark silhouette appeared before her.
The light flittering around him lit the edges of a short beard and reflected off rims of glasses, winking at her. He didn’t say anything, just examined Q-4’s face. Q stared blankly before her, not acknowledging his hovering presence, when a shot of hot defiance shot through her. She dragged her unwilling eyes to glare at the glasses, and the corner of her mouth curled into a smirk.
