Underground Laboratory…
The cold, sterile air bit at Tayo's skin as he was herded off the hovercraft along with the other captives. His feet, still unsteady from the turbulence of the ride, stumbled on the metal ramp. A rough shove from behind straightened him.
"Move," barked one of the masked captors, his energy rifle slung low but ready.
The underground facility loomed ahead of them like the maw of some great beast. The walls were a matte black material that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Fluorescent panels embedded in the ceiling flickered on, bathing the hall in a sickly white glow. The hum of unseen machinery echoed through the narrow corridors. Every step they took reverberated like distant thunder.
Tayo's heart pounded in his chest, his wrists aching from the tight binds. He glanced at the others. The woman who had been the first captive selected on the tram was trembling but kept her head low. One of the younger captives, a boy who couldn't have been older than seventeen, had dried blood on his lip from where he'd been struck. The little boy's face was blotchy from crying, and his silent sobs were the loudest sound in Tayo's mind.
He couldn't stop looking at him. The boy's small frame shivered as he looked around, his wide eyes darting from one captor to another. His gaze caught Tayo's again, filled with a silent, desperate plea. Tayo quickly averted his eyes.
'We are in the same situation,' he thought. 'My situation might even be worse.'
This thought was like poison when it seeped into his mind. For a moment his mind went blank. They were led through a set of massive metal doors that hissed open with hydraulic precision. Inside, it was worse.
The air smelled of antiseptic and something faintly metallic. The room was vast, with smooth, reflective floors and a high ceiling lined with blinking red sensors. Along the far wall, dozens of pods were embedded, each one large enough to fit a person. Thick cables snaked out of the pods like veins. Some of the pods were fogged up, but others had clear glass. Tayo's breath caught in his throat as he saw what was inside.
People—or at least that's what he thought they were…
Motionless bodies lay suspended in a viscous, translucent fluid. Their faces were calm, eyes closed, as though they were merely sleeping. Wires were attached to their temples, chests, and arms, feeding into the walls. He could see the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of their chests. He was mortified when he discovered that some of them had transparent sections of skin on their bodies. Through these transparent sections, he could see their bones, nerves, and arteries.
"No, no, no," Tayo muttered under his breath. "What is this place?"
"Silence!" one of the captors barked, slamming his rifle against the back of Tayo's leg. He grunted, the sharp pain shooting up his spine. The others who were contemplating the same question fell silent when they saw this.
They were marched toward a side of the room where several metal tables were laid out. Restraints dangled from their sides like the limbs of some strange, hungry insect. One of the guards yanked on Tayo's arm and shoved him toward a table. He resisted on instinct, thrashing, his heart racing.
"Don't fight it, fool," the masked man growled. "You'll just make it worse."
Tayo's vision blurred with panic. His breath came in short, frantic bursts. He glanced wildly around him. The other captives were being forced onto the tables as well. The woman was already lying flat, her wrists and ankles bound. Her eyes darted around, wide with fear.
"Please," she whispered.
The masked captor ignored her, tightening her restraints with a quick, sharp tug.
"Stop! Please stop!" the boy cried as they dragged him toward another table. "I want my mom! I want my mom!"
Tayo gritted his teeth when he heard the kid's scream. He thrashed harder. "Let him go!" he roared, but another blow from a rifle butt knocked the fight out of him. He was slammed down onto the table, his head still spinning from the impact.
One of the captors chuckled. "You worry about yourself," he said in a mocking tone. "Everyone breaks here, so be prepared."
They secured him, his wrists and ankles locked in place. Tayo's breathing grew shallow, his mind racing.
"This is it," he thought. "I'm done."
The air grew colder. A new figure entered the room, different from the masked guards. He wore no mask, but his face was hidden beneath a hooded coat. His face was sharp, his eyes distant yet calculating. He carried a tablet, swiping through data. The captors all straightened as he approached.
"Status report," the hooded figure said. His voice was smooth and unsettlingly calm.
"Six captives ready for testing," one of the guards responded.
The hooded man walked past each table, glancing at the captives like he was inspecting livestock. When he reached Tayo, he stopped. Tayo froze under the man's gaze.
"Hmm," the hooded figure said, tilting his head. "His potential does not meet the minimum requirements, why is he here?"
Tayo saw hope the moment he heard those words.
"I don't belong here," Tayo said, his voice cracking. "Please, just let me go."
The hooded figure cocked his head as he looked into Tayo's eyes. His gaze was so uncomfortable that Tayo looked away immediately. The man lowered his tablet as he looked up in thought. The few moments he spent in thought felt like forever as the tension built.
"You have two choices—," he began. "—Join them as a subject in the experiment and risk death, or choose to leave right now."
The room fell silent again. The choices were incomparable. Why would anyone choose the chance of death when there was a free pass to escape trouble? Tayo's eyes brightened when he heard the choices he was offered and opened his mouth when he paused.
He saw from the corner of his eye that one of the guards was smirking. The smirk sent a chill down his spine, causing his eyes to clear up. He remembered where he was and the circumstances that brought him here and one question came to mind immediately.
'For a start, would they let me leave alive after seeing them kill someone?'
The question was dumb. There was no way he was meant to leave here alive when the test he had been abducted for had a chance of death.
"I don't have all day," a voice interrupted him.
"I'll stay," he blurted out before he thought through the response.
"Good"
His heart sank the moment the words left his mouth. It was like stepping off a cliff and realizing halfway down that you couldn't fly. No turning back. No way out. The hooded man was already moving on as if his life or death were just a line on a checklist.
The captors brought out small syringes filled with a shimmering black liquid. Tayo's breath caught in his throat as he watched them inject the woman first. Her eyes shot wide open, her body convulsing violently. She let out a scream so raw, so full of pain, that it dug into his chest like claws. Her back arched off the table as she thrashed, her veins glowing faintly with a dark blue light.
The guards restrained her with practiced ease, holding her down until the convulsions subsided. Her breathing slowed, and she slumped, unconscious.
"Void-stress test complete," one of the guards said, taking notes on a handheld device.
Tayo's breathing quickened. His pulse thudded in his ears.
'No, no, no, no…,' he repeated in his thought like a prayer.
But it was his turn. He saw the glint of the syringe as it neared his arm. He jerked, twisting his wrist in the restraint, but the clamp didn't budge.
"No, no, no! Stop!" he shouted, his voice cracking.
The hooded man's face hovered over him. His cold eyes showed no empathy.
"Your survival is... unlikely," he said softly, pressing the syringe to Tayo's arm.
The burning sensation hit instantly, searing through his veins like molten lead. Tayo screamed, his vision flashing white. It was like being electrocuted from the inside out. Every nerve in his body lit up with pain.
His thoughts were shattered fragments, glimpses of moments that didn't make sense — his mother calling his name, Daniel laughing, the boy from the tram crying.
Then darkness came.
…
…
When he awoke, he was in a cell. His body ached like it had been crushed. Every joint, every muscle, throbbed. His eyes adjusted slowly to the dim light in the cell.
He could hear soft sobbing nearby. He turned his head and saw the boy curled in the corner of the cell next to his. His small body shook with each sob, his face buried in his knees.
He felt like the kid was breaking down and for some reason, he wanted to help. He wanted the kid to be calm. The memory of the pain he experienced before passing out had been great and this kid suffered something similar.
Tayo crawled to the edge of his cell. His lips felt cracked, his throat dry. He pressed his hand to the cold, transparent wall separating him from the boy.
"Hey," he croaked, his voice hoarse. "You okay, kid?"
The boy looked up; eyes swollen from crying. He stared at Tayo for a moment, sniffling, then wiped his face.
"No," he whispered.
Tayo leaned his head against the wall, his eyes closing for a moment.
"Me neither," he whispered back. His eyes closed for a moment. "But somehow… I think we'll be okay. We have to be."
The kid nodded as he wiped the tears from his face.
"What about the others?" Tayo asked.
The sound of footsteps echoed in the distance. The guards were coming again.
Tayo clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms
'I'm not dying here,' he thought, his jaw tightening.
But as the boy's tear-streaked face filled his mind, doubt crept in.