Chapter Seven
Ray isn’t sure if the doctors will know what he’s done. Great.
Lethargy pulls at my mind, and the sensation of needing to sleep is like a compulsion. But I won’t give them the satisfaction. But the haziness only intensifies, like ice encasing my brain.
I’m so tired, and the high-pitched hum I didn’t notice before blares like white noise, lulling me under. Just when I think I can’t take anymore, a soft voice whispers in my mind. “Summer. It’s me.”
Ray.
Fuck! Did I go under again?
This is so freaky. Just like everything else that’s happened over the last couple of days. How can I hear him in my head?
Ray’s voice is strained, sounding further away. “I’m disrupting...their signal. Trying to...keep it from putting you under.”
The pressure in my head recedes slightly as the surrounding program dims. Ray’s interference must be working. Hope surges within me. If he can stop what they’re doing, maybe I can remember everything after this “debriefing.”
But what if they notice I remember? Do they have a way to check? And just what would they do if they figured it out?
I’ll get locked up again, for sure. That’s a given. And if they ever realized it was Ray, he’d be punished, although I’m sure if they catch him again, there will be more than punishment. They might even kill him.
I have to tell him it’s too dangerous. “Maybe… maybe you should stop. Give up on me and just get away. Far, far away.”
“I won’t let them...take your memories,” he grits, and I can hear the strain in his mental communication. “You have to...remember.”
Remember what? This feels like a dream, and it’s so hard to keep a grasp on my thoughts. Fighting this exhaustion seems stupid when I can’t remember—
Flashes of fear, scaled faces, and metal cells fill my vision. Cages. Electrical shocks of pain when we touched the wire... what have they done to me?
Ray’s voice grows fainter. “Stay strong, Summer. You’ll get through this.”
The simulation sputters around me again, but his words are barely audible against the renewed agony in my skull. It’s a pressure, along with the sound that’s dragging me under.
“Summer,” he rasps. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t nod,” Ray reminds me. “Stay still and just try to relax. Hang on. I don’t think it’s much longer.”
Easier said than done. My tongue feels thick, clogging my throat. My heart pounds as I try to relax and when Ray’s voice comes again, it sounds far away.
“Summer. Summer!”
“Yeah. Still here.” It takes me a moment to remember who he is—again. My memories are jumbled, more like a dream than anything that actually happened to me.
“Listen. I just watched someone finish up. Say as little as possible.”
Right.
“Okay.”
That won’t be a problem.
I want to believe Ray. I want to believe I can beat this. Or them. But it’s hard to trust this strange connection between us.
What if his talking to me is just a dream? Something I made up entirely?
Ray’s words echo in my mind. “Those cells they cleared out were only a fraction of the men trapped there.”
Could he actually intend to get everyone out? What chance does he—or even us—have against the military? They have advanced technology… not to mention their sheer ruthlessness.
The hum in my head lessens, and it’s only a second later that it ends abruptly. Everything is quiet until I pick out the muffled voice of one doctor speaking in hushed tones, muffled by the contraption on my head. It’s taking all my concentration to breathe steadily and not wiggle.
All I can do is pray they didn’t detect Ray’s interference.
The doctors swarm around me, their movements brisk and efficient as they remove the slightly sticky pads from my skin. It seems to take forever for them to remove the mega contraption from my head. The helmet lifts and I blink against the flickering fluorescent lights, disoriented.
My mind feels foggy, and for a second, I can’t remember why I’m here. Just as quickly, it rushes back, and I bite my tongue, angry at this entire exercise. I want to scream in frustration, but I stay silent. I can’t let them suspect anything now.
None of the doctors say a word to me.
I keep my eyes closed, unsure of the best way to handle this.
“Summer?”
I let my eyes flutter open, wincing as the flickering fluorescent drills into my head. I don’t even have to fake it when I groan, reaching up to rub my temples.
“You may have a slight headache, but it should fade after you get some rest.”
“What… what happened?” I glance around, watching one of the doctors leave the room.
Dr. Klein is here though, and he only clucks his tongue, sliding a penlight into my eyes briefly, and it feels like he’s stabbing my eye socket. “You just had a debriefing, since you ended up exposed to some classified information. You’ve lost about four days, but the good news is you”re back and fit as a fiddle.”
I stare at him as my mouth drops open. Fit as a fiddle is not how I feel. Every muscle aches as I’m helped to my feet, stunned that it’s over.
Well, almost over. I have to get out of here.
“You’re clear to go, Summer. Follow the hall to the right and stop at the reception desk to grab your prescription.”
“Prescription?” Right now I’d rather die than take anything from them.
Dr. Klien smiles, leading me to the door. “You only need to fill it if you have a headache tomorrow.” A firm hand grips my arm, pulling me out the door.
Before I can get my bearings, I’m being ushered out of the room, the door shutting firmly behind me.
I stumble slightly. My legs tremble, but I straighten my spine, ordering my body to keep up.
“O-okay.” He’s already turned to walk away.
I stand there, stunned, alone in the empty hallway except for a few military personnel spaced out along the length, although I can see the end. The exit from this nightmare.
My racing heart pounds in my ears. I press a hand to my temple, trying to soothe the throbbing ache. I’m safe for now. But I need to get the hell out of here.
As if I’m sleepwalking, I barely remember trudging down the hall and picking up a slip of paper from the bored woman behind the desk. It isn’t until the cool evening air slaps me in the face that I seem to wake up from the spell.
Then panic sets in. Can I really do this? Rebel against the very organization that trained me?
If I’m caught… well, I don’t know. This is crazy. Otherworldly. And totally fucked up.
Plus, it’s not just my life at risk. My father, my friends... this is the big time. A major conspiracy. We’d all pay the price.
But how can I live with myself if I do nothing? Innocent people are suffering. People like Ray, who never asked for any of this.
And I know.
Fuck. In a way, I wish I didn’t. Aliens working with the government? Imprisoning and experimenting on people! It’s mind-boggling.
I glance back at the building, my heart pounding. I expect to see someone running after me already, and I try to move my legs quicker.
What have I done?
I think of my mother, her kind eyes and gentle smile. She passed from cancer when I was in high school, but she always told me to stand up for what’s right, no matter how hard. I wish I could ask her what to do now.
If she were here, what would she say? Would she tell me to turn back, to protect myself? Or would she be proud that I’m following my conscience, even at such a cost?
But my gut tells me if I do nothing while innocent people suffer, I’ll never forgive myself.
In theory, I should go back in and demand answers. But fear roots me in place. These people hold immense power over me. If they discover I’m remembering things I shouldn’t...
I can’t risk it. Not yet. Not until I understand what’s happening.
Wrapping my arms around myself, I force my leaden feet to move. The tree’s shadows seem to press in from all sides, sinister and watchful. I keep my eyes straight ahead as I walk, shoving down my rising panic.
Just get back to my room. Then maybe my scattered mind will make sense of things.
My legs shake as I walk across the base. I keep my eyes down, avoiding meeting anyone’s gaze, determined not to let them see the turmoil inside me.
Act normal, I tell myself. You remember nothing.
I hug my arms tighter, quickening my pace. The base housing looms ahead, all red brick and imposing. Almost there. I just need to make it inside and get some rest.
My hands tremble as I scan my keycard and slip into the cool vestibule. The stairway is empty. Totally quiet. I keep moving, feet dragging up two flights of stairs to the apartment I share with Sara.
The door shuts behind me with a soft click, and I lean against it, breathing hard. Made it.
Sara’s room is empty, and it takes a minute for me to remember she’s working the second shift this month.
Dropping onto my bed, I shudder, kicking off my boots. I’m safe. For now.