The Test Subjects(TMR Fanfiction)

Two: Think Before You Attack

T W O

AUDREY

          The fact that her toes barely touched the floor while sitting on a chair annoyed the hell out of Audrey.

          Back in the Glade, all the girls used to tower over her, even the younger ones. Her height was probably the reason she ended up as a medic at first- Harriet had said she was “too small to do anything else”. Then there was the problem of wanting to be a Runner…

          Audrey looked up at the sound of the door opening and found Newt, escorted by a single guard. She observed him as he took a seat opposite her. His blonde hair, which used to be long and greasy, had been clipped short, though some of it hung in his dark eyes. He still had a bandage wrapped around his head. Judging from his scowl, he was definitely annoyed.

          She risked a greeting. “Hey, your highness.” The guards barely moved, allowing her to continue. “How was your beauty sleep?”

          “I’m not a bloody princess.” Despite his tone, a smile tugged at his lips. “And ‘beauty sleep’ does not exist for me.”

          “Sure, Lizard Boy. Tell that to my face.”  She forced a smirk. Newt was so different from her former best friend, it was impossible to believe they had the same genes.

          “Don’t call me-“

          The door opened, cutting him off. A grey-haired man in a white coat and glasses walked in and sat at the desk in front of them. He smiled at them, which did nothing to calm Audrey’s nerves.

          “Good morning. I’m Dr. Branwell, head of the Flare Research organistation. I would like to begin by apologizing for imprisoning you for over two weeks.” He nodded towards her with a slight frown. “Especially you.”

          Did he really have to mention that?She winced internally.

          “Anyway, we had to isolate you from everyone else for two reasons; to closely monitor the effects of the serum, and to prevent the Flare from spreading to the others- even if it wasn’t contagious at that point.”

           Audrey leaned forward, about to ask questions, but Dr. Branwell raised a hand. “Let me finish first. The serum I mentioned was supposed to be a cure for the Flare. It’s something we have been working on for the last two years, shortly before WICKED began the Maze Trials. Many people died working on it. They were either killed by the Cranks, or-” He paused, sighing. “-went past the Gone. The serum itself also cost the lives of a few volunteers.”

          In the corner of her eye, she saw Newt chew on his bottom lip.

          “We had to keep finding new subjects every few months,” the man continued. “Going into the Scorch and grabbing a few Cranks- it’s not as easy as it sounds. You should know how difficult it is, considering you had to cross the Scorch before. A few of them also managed to escape with our experimental cures and successfully replicated it. They called it the Bliss, which doesn’t really do anything except to delay the Flare.

          “The point is, you two are the first to actually benefit from the serum. It has the same effect as the Bliss, only without making you seem half-dead. Not only that, but it stopped the Flare from becoming contagious. And over the past few weeks-“

          Newt groaned, rolling his eyes. “All right, we get it! We’re special. What the shuck do you want from us? Our brains? Our souls? Our-“

          “Shut it, Lizard Boy!” Audrey hissed, glaring at him. “Just freaking listen!” She turned back to Dr. Branwell.

          He coughed. “Unfortunately, the boy is right. We need to use you as test subjects to develop the cure.”

           Fear, resentment, elation, doubt- she couldn’t decide which emotion dominated her. Newt had stood up and was yelling at Dr. Branwell, but they became distant as she zoned out.

           When WICKED had toyed with her, she was just a control subject, being compared to the Immunes. She was far less important than her friends, so she’d been told. Now she was in their position, getting to actually contribute to Science and possibly saving the world.

          I could finally prove them wrong, she thought. Rub it in their ugly faces.

          “-makes you think I’ll agree to this?” Newt looked towards her, his eyes blazing. “Tell me you’re not going to bloody do it.”

          She stood up and realized how tall he was; she was at eye level with his chest. “Sadly, I’m going to.”

          “Are you shucking kidding me?” He shook his head. “Do you have any idea what they could do to you?”

          “Please. I know what I’m doing. Are you trying to call me stupid?” She smirked, hoping he got her silent message; Never doubt my abilities.

          He sighed, returning the smirk. “I don’t give a klunk if you’re a girl. What you’re about to do is completely stupid. You think the world is all rainbows and unicorns? These people won’t hesitate to treat you like lab rats, just like WICKED did. If you want to die, then go.”

          Audrey gritted her teeth. “You’re a coward, you know that? I bet you’re pissing your pants as we speak.”

          For a moment, his mask disappeared, a look of hurt crossing his face.  Her insides twisted with guilt. Had she gone too far?

          “Well,” Dr. Branwell spoke up after a moment of silence. She’d forgotten he was there. “This has been an interesting discussion. I’ll be sending you back to your rooms now.” He nodded at Newt. “I do hope you consider volunteering. It would be unfortunate to let such great progress go to waste. And, young lady, thank you.”

           She managed a smile. “Pleasure.”

          With one last glance at Newt, she exited the room.

*****

11/11/2014

The internet crashed while I was posting this, and I'm really tired right now, so I'll just leave it here.

Hope you enjoyed this. Please leave a comment. Constructive cristicism is accepted.

-Love, Caryl