Mindless

Chapter Seven - 046

 I think I might be the most uncomfortable I have ever been in my life right now, which is saying something, because in training they let us physically harm each other in duels. And although I may seem tall, there are still people in training who dwarf me. And they can beat me up, no problem.

Everything burns. And when I try to move my limbs, I find them all to be numb and limp, not doing anything I want them to. So I just kind of lie on the cold, hard floor of a cell until the invisidoor on the wall slides inwards, signaling someone's appearance.

A skinny little boy, who could be my age but I can't really tell, with this weird piece of plastic on his face walks in, holding a tangiscreen. He types furiously, then looks up to see me staring at him.

"Who are you?" I ask. It comes out as 'Hoorrrryo.' I try again and it comes out normally, or at least as normally as it's going to get.

"The question is, who are you?" He pauses, as if thinking. "Wait, I know who you are. You must be 046. 022 told me about you."

At that, I startle, sitting up instantly. "022?" I ask. "You've seen her? Is she ok? What's going on? Are we going to be terminated?"

He holds up his hands in response, as if to fend off my attack of questions. "She's fine, just waiting. We need to get you all checked out before we can decide what to do with you. So please, cooperate."

I sigh and put my head in my hands, grabbing my short hair in my fists and pulling on it. It doesn't even come loose. This is so confusing.

"At what time did you leave your moonBase?"

"Approximately 24:00 hours."

"Why?"

"Some girl, she came into my quarters in the middle of sleeping hours and told me that this person who asked all free-minded people to stand up during lunch was going to be terminated, and we needed to get her free."

"And you just went along with this?"

"She was innocent. I cannot let an innocent person die-- that is against my duty as a guard."

"So is going against orders from your Lieutenant."

"Life is valued over orders."

He pauses, closing his eyes for a good minute and then opening them again. "Ok," he says. "I've got just one more question. Do you trust this girl?"

"Trust?"

"Oh. Trust. Um. Do you think that this girl is manipulating you or being honest?"

"I do not favor her as a human. But I do believe she is being honest. And if she wanted to save someone like 022 from termination, then I don't think she could be doing anything wrong in this offense."

He blinks, then nods.

"Ok. You took in a lot of poison-- we're going to get a medic in here, and then you're getting some rest. The electric field is no longer necessary, but you unfortunately are not allowed to leave this room. And someone will get you a place to wash and a change of clothes."

As I look down at my clothes to see what's wrong with them, he leaves. I find I'm covered in blood, some my own and some that of the guards opposing me. I had to knock out my training partner.

As the door slides shut all new things happen. The electric field disappears, and appliances start popping out of the walls. Like my quarters, but bigger. I'm sitting in a corner. A bed pops up from under me, which I find very convenient, a wall closes off and a door slides into place, and I'm sure a bathroom is forming inside, and shelves and dressers filled with foreign objects take their places on the walls and floor. Something fuzzy even pops out of the floor in the middle of the room-- flat, round, and tinted with blue swirls. I puzzle over what it is until someone arrives in the room.

She has long dark hair that she wears down, which is against moonBase ordinances. Her eyes are huge and brown, and filled with some kind of thought, something strange that makes her face seem more... alive. It's the same thing I see in 022, but different, too. Strange.

"Hi," she says. Her voice has a strange lilt to it. "I'm Kaylee, but you can call me Kay. Or Lee. I don't care."

"Do you not have an identification?" I ask. She laughs, as if I've said something funny. "No. That's my name."

"What's a name?"

"It's a word you call yourself, so that people know who you are. You have one, too. We'll find it, I promise. But right now, you need something to help you recover from that poison. You took in twice the dosage we thought you all would consume. How did that happen?"

I remember picking up 022 when she fell. And even though she was light, I know it made me breathe heavier all the same.

"Um. I don't know."

"Ok, that's fine. I have something that will help you feel better." She pulls a needle out of her pocket, which, as I notice, is sewn on to a uniform, but nothing like I've ever seen before.

"Here, hold out your wrist," she says. I do, and she grabs it with one small hand, holding the needle with another. "Clench your fist." I do so and a vein pops out in my wrist, which she proceeds to stick the needle into and inject a purple liquid into. I feel instantly energized.

"Well, that was effective." I say. She nods. "It's some of the best stuff we have here for poison. Elle ordered me to give it to you."

I say nothing. Kaylee tells me there's a change of clothing in the dresser that popped up next to the bed, and then leaves. I rummage through the thing, finding some strange articles of clothing.

A shirt, but made of some silver-ish material. It stretches but is somehow also rock hard. Weird. And then some baggy black pants, almost like what I wore in training. Black boots go with the black pants.

I put it all on, struggling with the boots. They're not my size.

And then I wait, busying myself looking at these strange new items balanced on the sleeves that popped up on the walls. One thing looks like a glove, but when I put it on it sends chills up my arm and down my spine. I shudder and take it off.

Then I just wait. I wonder what 022 is doing right now. Is she doing the same thing as me? Just... waiting? For who knows what?

Every time I think about 022, I feel something weird. It makes my heart beat faster, and my face turns a weird shade of red. Like an allergic reaction. But not.

So now, on top of everything else, I have a case I need to start?