13 trudged behind the guard down the stark white hallway, his shoes squeaking on the freshly mopped tiles. He kept his eyes fixed straight ahead. The walk to the testing lab seemed to stretch on forever, the fluorescent lights flickering overhead in an erratic tempo that set his teeth on edge.
When they finally reached the lab, the guard ushered 13 inside with a light shove between his shoulder blades. "Have fun, kid," he said with a sneer as the door slammed shut behind him.
They arrived at one of the facility's many testing rooms. The space was dominated by a large one-way mirror looking in on a bare concrete room. Various lab technicians sat at monitoring stations, fiddling with switches and taking notes on clipboards.
The Doctor turned as they entered. "Ah good, right on time," he said briskly, giving 13 a cursory glance. The doctor's eyes were cold and calculating, seeming to look through 13 rather than at him.
"Let's begin today's resonance testing," The Doctor continued. "Number 13, please enter the chamber."
Without a word, 13 walked to the heavy steel door that led into the bare testing room. He could feel the eyes of the technicians on him, as if he were nothing but a laboratory specimen to be prodded and examined. The door clanged shut behind him, the echo ringing through the small space. 13 stood alone in the harsh fluorescent light, resigned to the day's experiments. What new trials would they devise today to try and trigger something, anything, within him? He stared straight ahead and waited.
A crackling voice came through a speaker in the ceiling. "Commencing test number twenty-three at 8:15 AM. Increase sonic frequency in ten second intervals."
13 braced himself as a low hum began, rapidly increasing in pitch and volume. The sound reverberated through his bones, setting his teeth on edge. But he showed no reaction. After two minutes the noise cut off abruptly.
"No noticeable resonance manifestation," The Doctor's voice reported clinically through the speaker. "Proceed to emotional stimulation."
A screen lowered from the ceiling at the far end of the room. Grainy footage began playing, showing a young girl crying out in pain, writhing against restraints. 13 recognized her as Subject 11, one of the only people he could call a friend in the facility. His hands curled into fists at his sides, but still he kept his face neutral. He would not let them see any reaction. Would not give them the satisfaction.
The girl's screams cut off as the screen retracted into the ceiling. "Minimal emotional response recorded," the doctor intoned. "Perhaps a deprivation period will lower his resistance."
The lights shut off suddenly, plunging 13 into complete darkness. He took a slow breath, then lowered himself to sit cross-legged on the cold concrete floor. He cleared his mind, willing his senses to stretch out into the void around him. He may be confined here, but they could not control his inner world. This is where his true freedom lay. He sat there for what could have been minutes or hours, finding a center of calm within.
…
13 tensed as the heavy metal door to the testing chamber slid open once more. The bright lights of the lab outside momentarily blinded him as two guards entered.
"On your feet," one of them barked.
With a quiet sigh, 13 complied, letting the men roughly grab his arms and march him back out into the lab. He blinked against the harsh lights, taking in the familiar sterile scene. Lab techs monitored screens displaying his vital signs, while the Doctor stood with arms crossed, a frown creasing his face.
"I had hoped for more progress after a prolonged sensory deprivation period," the Doctor said, glancing over a clipboard. "Still, I remain confident we will find the key to triggering a resonance response in Subject 13."
The guards shoved 13 down into a cold metal chair, restraining his arms and legs against it with thick leather straps. He tested the bonds reflexively, but they held fast.
"Perhaps a more direct neural stimulus is required," the Doctor continued, handing the clipboard back to a tech and rolling up the sleeves of his crisp white lab coat. "Prepare the cranial electrodes."
13 stiffened in the chair, his breath quickening despite himself. He had endured these experiments many times before, but that did not make them any less painful. He forced his face to remain neutral as a tech affixed cold metal disks to his temples, each attached by wires to an imposing machine covered in dials and switches.
The Doctor flipped a few switches, and the machine began to hum ominously. "Commencing cerebral resonance stimulation in 5...4...3..."
13 closed his eyes, bracing himself.
"2...1..."
Pain exploded through 13's skull as the machine switched on. It was like lightning coursing through his brain, setting every nerve ending aflame. His body spasmed against the restraints, muscles clenching and twitching uncontrollably. He gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out.
After what seemed an eternity, the machine powered down, leaving 13 slumped in the chair, chest heaving. Through the ringing in his ears, he could hear the Doctor speaking.
"Administer the serum next. Formula 19 this time."
13 cracked open his eyes to see a tech approaching with a loaded syringe, its tip glistening. He instinctively thrashed against the restraints, but could not stop the needle from plunging into his arm, icy fluid flooding his veins.
His heart began racing as the serum took effect, senses heightening painfully. Sounds became deafening, light seared his eyes, his very blood felt like it was boiling. Still, no resonance manifested.
13 continued to endure test after test, his mind detaching from the agony of his body. More injections, strange machines, chambers of flashing lights, and piercing sounds. Still nothing.
After an interminable barrage of experiments, the guards finally dragged a semi-conscious 13 back to his cramped cell. They dumped him unceremoniously onto the bed and slammed the heavy door shut, enveloping him in darkness.
Every inch of his body ached, but it was nothing compared to the weariness that seeped into his soul. He stared up at the blackness, feeling more lost than ever. Somewhere beyond these cold concrete walls were grass and trees, moon and stars. Things he never witnessed in person. Would he ever be free of this place?
For now, all he could do was close his eyes and retreat into his inner sanctum. They may torment his body, but his mind remained his own. He focused on his breathing, finding a quiet calm at his core, picturing himself floating in an endless dark sea. Suspended in that void, he found a semblance of peace.
Soon he would have to face the lab and the tests once more. But for now, he drifted through the waters of his imagination, far from the sterile lights and sounds of that hated place. Here, he was free.
...
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