Chris gripped the wire of his cage as Doctor Halt eyed his two prisoners. Clamping his mouth shut, he ignored the voice in his head that was screaming for answers. His whole body ached where the guards had struck him, and he was not eager to repeat the experience. The ugly thugs were grinning at him now, as though daring him to give them another chance. Instead, he bit his tongue and waited to see what came next.
His mind was still reeling, struggling to put together the pieces of his scattered memories. Images from the night flashed through his mind—the Chead on the television, the men in his house, his mother falling.
His throat contracted as Halt's words twisted in his mind.
Traitor.
A tremor shook him and he suppressed a sob. The sentence for treason was death. Often just an accusation was enough to doom someone. Now his mother had been taken, stolen away by the woman in the white coat.
Holding his breath, Chris struggled with his fear, his terror that she might already be gone. That he might now be alone, an orphan in a harsh, unforgiving world.
He took a great, shuddering breath. That was the least of his problems now. Whatever his mother's fate, Chris could do nothing for her, not so long as he remained trapped in this cage.
Halt's voice drew Chris's attention back to him. "Now that we have an understanding, it is time to prepare you for your time here." A thin smile spread across his lips. "Take off your clothes."
An icy hand gripped Chris's chest as Halt folded his arms. Behind the doctor, the guards edged closer, broad grins splitting their faces. A sharp intake of breath came from the other cage, but otherwise the young woman did not move.
Chris shrank away from the wire. "Why?"
Halt took a step forward. "Now, Christopher, I thought we'd moved past this. The dog does not question his master."
Clenching his fists, Chris shook his head. His eyes travelled past Halt, to the audience of doctors, lingering on the face of the woman, the doctor called Fallow. "This isn't right," he breathed.
Halt let out a long sigh and waved the guards forward. They moved towards Chris's cage with a cold proficiency. Chris hesitated, but they were already reaching the door and fumbling with the latch. Quickly, he began to unbutton his shirt, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
Outside, the guards paused, looking back at Halt in question. The doctor nodded curtly, and they retreated a step.
In the cage, Chris stripped off his clothing piece by piece, shivering as the icy breath of the air conditioner brushed his skin. The hairs stood up on the back of his neck as he pulled off his underwear and tossed them to the floor. Turning sideways, he bowed his head, struggling to cover himself.
Then he reached up and unclipped the chain hanging around his neck. It came away easily, the little pocket watch falling into his hand. Trembling, he flicked open the metal catch and looked at the faces of his mother and father, at their kind smiles, the life in their eyes.
Struggling to hold back tears, he closed the watch again and placed it gently, reverently, on his pile of clothes.
Standing, he felt the eyes of the gathered doctors roaming over his naked flesh, examining him, seeking out his every secret. A deep sense of helplessness rose in his chest, threatening to overwhelm him. Cheeks flushed, he stared hard at the ground, fighting to ignore the world.
"Very good, Christopher." Halt's voice was patronizing, and Chris almost choked on the shame that rose in his throat. "And you, Elizabeth?"
From the corner of his eyes, Chris caught movement in the other cage. He watched as Elizabeth approached the front of her cage. She wore a smirk on her lips, but her blue eyes flashed with unconcealed rage. She pressed herself against the wire and stared at Halt.
"Come and get me," she hissed.
Chris's eyes widened. After her earlier acquiescence, he had not expected her to resist.
Halt only gave a slow shake of his head. "Bring her," he said, gesturing to the guards.
The guards marched past him and yanked open the door to Elizabeth's cage. She retreated quickly, waiting as the first guard pushed his way inside. Then with a wild shriek, she attacked. At maybe one hundred and twenty-five pounds, she was dwarfed by the guard. But her sudden violence caught him by surprise, and he stumbled backwards into his comrade.
As the two of them went down in a heap, Elizabeth leapt for the door. She made it across the threshold before the first guard managed to stagger upright. His arm swung out, catching her by the foot, and she slammed into the concrete outside the cage. With a screech, she kicked out with her free leg, slamming her heel into the guard's face. He gave a muffled curse, but held on.
In seconds, the other guard was on his feet. He strode across to where Elizabeth still fought to free herself, reached down, and grabbed her hair in one meaty hand. The girl let out a pained cry as he lifted her up and held her off the ground. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she kicked feebly at empty air, her hands batting at his chest.
With a contemptuous flick of his arm, the guard tossed her aside. Elizabeth crashed hard into the concrete. She struggled to her knees, but a heavy boot drove down onto her back, sending her face first into the floor.
Halt walked across and knelt beside the girl, a cold smile on his snakelike lips.
"Elizabeth." Halt's voice was laced now with honey. "Be a good girl, now. You cannot begin your time here with those reminders of your old life. Remove your clothes."
Chris shuddered as Halt stood and watched the girl lift herself to her hands and knees. One trembling hand reached for the buttons of her shirt and began to pluck them open. Chris looked away, unwilling to participate in her shaming.
He glanced up a minute later as the sound of metal striking concrete rang through the room. His eyes were drawn to the object now lying on the ground between Halt and the shivering girl. The thick steel links of a chain lay between them like a snake, the silver metal shining in the fluorescent lights. For an instant, Chris wondered where it had come from, but his thoughts quickly turned to what it was.
A collar.