Refracted

- - 27 - -

I woke up for a third time but this time I forced myself to behave. I would play their game for a while, at least I could have a shot at getting some answers and maybe even finding Elyse and Harleen.

My body was clamped down again but I didn't move and twitch or speak or scream. I waited until they felt it safe to move on and do whatever they wanted to do.

What felt like an eternity passed before I even noticed anything from them. But eventually the clamps loosened before finally opening and going limp. I rubbed my raw wrists together and tried to get some warmth back into them after the cold metal had sucked it all out. My legs were equally sore but I had to push past the pain. I had to appear strong.

I sat up on the bench and waited longer.

Time felt like it was standing still as I waited. The room screamed boredom. There weren't any markings on the walls or scratches on the floors to count or occupy myself with and it was dangerous to get lost in memories. I had to be alert to my surroundings, ready for anything.

This place reminded me exactly of my time in solitary at the facility and perhaps that was what I feared the most. I feared that I was back. I feared that I had never escaped. I feared that there was no longer any hope, for any of us.

But I refused to let myself think about that. I had never let myself stay on that road for long and I most certainly wasn't about to start now.

Come on, Verity, breathe, breathe.

Like a mantra, I repeated the phrase, focusing on nothing else but the metal door. Gradually, I felt my heart rate lower and the throbbing in my temples eventually ceased.

The door was my absolute only focus. For seconds, for minutes, for hours, for days. However long it was, I didn't look away...

And then it opened. The flap was pushed up and a tray of food was slid through. It was so incredibly tempting to crawl over to it and eat it off the floor. But no, appearances were everything now.

Slowly, I walked over to the tray, every footstep carefully calculated. As much anticipation as I was feeling now, they were feeling it more behind the mirror. I couldn't do anything I wasn't prepared to face the consequences for.

I took the tray back to my medical bench and sat down. Hesitating a few crucial seconds first, I lifted the bread to my mouth and took a bite. Of course, there was no change in atmosphere for me but behind the glass I knew all the scientists would be going crazy. Did this mean I was going to be compliant? Did it mean that it had worked? Did it mean it hadn't worked?

I imagined the ferocity with with they scribbled down notes onto a tablet and smirked. Now who was in control?

Cautiously still, I ate the rest of the soup and tucked half of the bread roll up my gown to hide it for later. You never knew when your next meal would be in those places. Then I carried the tray back to the door and slid it under. Promptly, the flap closed again and I had no connection to the outside world.

I waited again. Boredom was the main issue in places like these once you got used to the creeping insanity caused by isolation. The scientists were there to observe you from behind the glass but they would always give you the essentials to survive, even if they weren't in the most luscious conditions.

I had kept hold of the water bottle from the tray of food and gradually had drained it but that presented another issue. Now I needed to use the bathroom and as far as I could tell, there wasn't one in here.

As if I'm cue, a door materialised from behind me. It appeared at the side of a mirror and had a whitewashed coat of paint to disguise it from me.

Quickly, I rushed into it, there was no time to think about the outcomes of my actions as the one main outcome if I didn't use this toilet was pretty obvious. Before sitting down, I had a rapid look round and saw a small camera placed in the corner. Great, I was going to have to be fast.

Of course, covering the camera was possible but I knew all too well what would happen if I did. I also noticed there was no mirror, clearly they weren't prepared to make the same mistake twice.

I did what I had to do as fast as humanly possible and left the bathroom quickly afterwards. The door closed behind me but then I noticed that something had definitely changed.

For starters, Lucas was sitting on my bed.

I wasn't sure how to react, it took every impulse to not go over there and beat him as hard as I could. But I knew the drill: sedation, lack of trust blah blah blah.

"Hello, Verity," he said.

I didn't reply, by now I was used to waiting.

"Of course you are probably wondering what happened. But I thought we could revisit the past and play a little game. You have three questions for me to answer but then it's my turn."

The temptation was too much to resist. I needed answers.

"Where am I?"

"Atlantis, we had to desert Zyphia after the facilities were blown up."

Wait, the facilities had been blown up?! I was shocked and he knew I was too but I didn't want to waste one of my questions on something that would be answered by my next. I worded this one very carefully as to avoid any loopholes.

"When will you tell me the truth about everything?"

"Everything? Well that's quite a lot, but I suppose I could set aside tomorrow to explain it all to you. But of course, you would have to be willing to do the same for me..."

I had no clue what he meant but I just nodded. The price of this request didn't seem too severe so it was a price I was willing to pay.

"And your final question?"

"Who are you?"

"The new Alpha."

"You know what I mean."

"I think you already know the answer," he toyed.

To be honest I did. I had known since the first time I had seen him, his face was too distinct too familiar. I asked him then for the sake of the Resistance and for the sake of not getting my hopes up. But I needed him to say it now. So that there was no doubt about my relationship with him, my relevance to him.

I waited for him to continue and finally he acquiesced.

"No one ever forgets their own brother."