Ingenious

Chapter Twenty Seven

 I wake up in a cold sweat and I'm honestly comforted by the fact I was imagining that dream again. It isn't real, it isn't real, it isn't real. Ever since my last punishment and those four awful scenarios I saw, I've had nightmares every night about at least one of them. At least when I see the completely blank white walls I know I'm not in my house or Bailey's house or the bunker or literally anywhere that one of the scenarios have happened. It's been almost a week since and I'm really hoping that they stop soon because it's torture having to relive it every night. I know I said I was willing to go through punishment for sticking up for myself but I think I take it back now. Actually I definitely take it back now. They haven't done much other than blood draws and giving us drugs the past week, but I suspect something else is coming. They keep altering the drugs to do different things and it's getting quite irritating to sit there after you get it just waiting for something to happen. Sometimes I'll throw up, sometimes I'll hallucinate and sometimes nothing will happen at all. As the doctor enters today she doesn't have anything to take blood. Just a single syringe. I really want to just say that's all but like I said, I have no desire to get more punishment. I haven't recovered from the first yet, let alone the last one. She injects the needle into me and I lean up against the back wall waiting for something to happen. And wait. And wait. About 2 hours later nothing has happened yet so I assume it's another fail at whatever they are trying to do here. I think it is taking away our powers but also just torture us. Hard to tell sometimes.

"Food," someone says coming in and placing the tray in front of me. I smile and wolf it down. It's 2 slices of bread and carrots today. That's way more generous than last time so I enjoy it. Just as I'm eating the last carrot when my leg seems to fall asleep. But it's not asleep because it's just lying there. I shake it and my vision starts to blur. Aren't carrots supposed to help your vision? And then I start to shake. But not out of nervousness. I'm having a seizure. The person who gave me my food runs over, putting me on my side, but I'm shaking and shaking and I'm not stopping. Everything's so blurry but I don't even feel like I'm in my own body. I feel like I'm watching the seizure happen like I watched my testing happen. What did that drug do? My thoughts are a blur as I'm thrown onto a gurney, not even cuffed down and rushed out of my room.

Everything starts to come back to me as I'm in the CT machine. I hold still so they can get a clear read, but I'm still shaken up. What just happened? I haven't had a seizure before. None of the meds have ever made that happen. As they pull me out of the CT machine I can see the head doctor talking to a younger female doctor I've seen a few times and someone on a cell phone. I can't hear what they are saying but they seem freaked out and nervous. You're nervous? I just had a freaking seizure! The younger doctor comes in and cuffs me down seeing I'm back to a somewhat reality.

"You're going into a brain surgery. There is no need for anesthesia, you can't feel it when people are operating on your brian." I freeze. It's not something in me, but it's what she said.

"Brain surgery!" I exclaim. I know I could be punished but I can't help myself. They've done terrible things to us here but surgery! "Awake brain surgery!" For the first time since coming here 3 weeks ago I see sympathy in her eyes. Maybe they are human.

"I know this is scary and you must be in shock, but I promise you'll be okay," she tells me, "Now I have to go prep you for the surgery, so we are going to a different room." With that she rolls my gurney away from the CT machine and down hallways I've never been through. The hallway has windows that lead outside. Outside. I move my hand to see if I still can. I can but it's pretty stiff. It's just the two of us, but I have questions I want to ask.

"What's the surgery for?" I whisper, my voice quivering. She avoids looking at me but answers. Thank god.

"The meds they gave you caused your brain to react weirdly and..." she trails off and then realizes I'm going to find out eventually. "Because you manipulate electricity your body reacts where it seized and fried your chip." Fried my chip. She doesn't have to finish for me to know that they are in fact taking out my chip. Everyone has a chip yet I'm about to not have one?
"Am I getting a new one?" I ask her. She's the first person to ever answer my questions and I need a few answers.