up.
“Jocelyn, I’m on the ground level.” He spoke into the receiver. “We’re waiting for you.”
He hung up.
We stood for a few moments surrounded by the eerie silence of the lab before the sound of footsteps descending a staircase came from the far corner of the room. The set of doors swung open near a table of burners and out stepped a short, mousy woman with wide-rimmed spectacles and a tiny frame. Donning a dark blue lab coat, she hurried as she spotted us, the short heels of her shoes clacking against the sleek white floors.
Arriving next to us, she exchanged a knowing glance with Mark before reaching out to take my hand. I hesitated, glancing at Mark.
He nodded encouragingly. “Go with Jocelyn. She’ll return you to your room once you’re done.”
Once I’m done with what?
I looked at this new Jocelyn woman untrustingly, but allowed her to lead me away all the same. I cast one more glance over my shoulder toward Mark as he left the room before the woman led me up a staircase. We climbed a single flight and arrived on the first floor—just as large and impressive as the one beneath. She led me across it toward a long, heavy black curtain that was sectioning off a portion of the lab. She parted the curtain and led me through it. I found myself staring at a row of treatment beds with more alien equipment crowded around them. She indicated a bed in front of it and nodded, smiling faintly.
“Make yourself comfortable,” she said.
I doubted I could make myself comfortable in this lab even if she presented me with a king-sized bed to stretch out on, but I did my best to acquiesce. She perched herself on a stool next to the bed and planted her foot down on a red button, which made the bed tilt upward slightly, until my back was at a forty-five degree angle.
Then she switched on a bright fluorescent lamp that hung directly over my face, apparently designed to blind a person. I was forced to close my eyes, bright spots swirling in the backs of my eyelids.
I couldn’t see much of what she was doing after that, but I felt her probing my body with cool metal objects. She planted what felt like a stethoscope against my chest, then I felt bands around my upper arm which tensed and squeezed—apparently taking my blood pressure. An unpleasant rounded object covered with some kind of ice-cold gel roamed my neck, and it seemed to be giving off some kind of micro-electric current, as I felt an unpleasant stinging in my skin. Then, without asking for my permission, she rolled up the bottom of my shirt, revealing my bare lower abdomen. Using the same freezing cold gel-coated instrument, she ran it over my stomach, causing shivers to run through my body. I bit my lip, tensing.
“ What are you doing?” I grunted.
“Just a few tests,” she said lightly. “Nothing to worry about.”
It grated at my nerves the way she talked to me like I was a child. I couldn’t help but wonder if she had a gun near her as she sat examining me. Though even if she didn’t, and I managed to overpower her and escape, where would I go? Heck, I didn’t even know that I could leave this laboratory. It had required Mark’s thumbprint to enter, and it might not be possible even to exit this place without another authorized fingerprint. I guessed that I could try to drag Jocelyn along to the door and force her finger against the device… but then what? I was still in the middle of nowhere. I would likely freeze before I ever found help, or more likely, they would catch me first. I pushed away the fantasy of escape. If they didn’t let me go voluntarily soon, I would have no choice but to attempt it… but when I did, I needed to have a good plan. Otherwise I would only find myself in worse trouble.
My focus returned to Jocelyn. She had finished freezing my stomach with her probe, and had hopefully put the damn thing away. She had now moved to my feet where, for reasons I couldn’t fathom, she had begun digging her fingers against
“Jocelyn, I’m on the ground level.” He spoke into the receiver. “We’re waiting for you.”
He hung up.
We stood for a few moments surrounded by the eerie silence of the lab before the sound of footsteps descending a staircase came from the far corner of the room. The set of doors swung open near a table of burners and out stepped a short, mousy woman with wide-rimmed spectacles and a tiny frame. Donning a dark blue lab coat, she hurried as she spotted us, the short heels of her shoes clacking against the sleek white floors.
Arriving next to us, she exchanged a knowing glance with Mark before reaching out to take my hand. I hesitated, glancing at Mark.
He nodded encouragingly. “Go with Jocelyn. She’ll return you to your room once you’re done.”
Once I’m done with what?
I looked at this new Jocelyn woman untrustingly, but allowed her to lead me away all the same. I cast one more glance over my shoulder toward Mark as he left the room before the woman led me up a staircase. We climbed a single flight and arrived on the first floor—just as large and impressive as the one beneath. She led me across it toward a long, heavy black curtain that was sectioning off a portion of the lab. She parted the curtain and led me through it. I found myself staring at a row of treatment beds with more alien equipment crowded around them. She indicated a bed in front of it and nodded, smiling faintly.
“Make yourself comfortable,” she said.
I doubted I could make myself comfortable in this lab even if she presented me with a king-sized bed to stretch out on, but I did my best to acquiesce. She perched herself on a stool next to the bed and planted her foot down on a red button, which made the bed tilt upward slightly, until my back was at a forty-five degree angle.
Then she switched on a bright fluorescent lamp that hung directly over my face, apparently designed to blind a person. I was forced to close my eyes, bright spots swirling in the backs of my eyelids.
I couldn’t see much of what she was doing after that, but I felt her probing my body with cool metal objects. She planted what felt like a stethoscope against my chest, then I felt bands around my upper arm which tensed and squeezed—apparently taking my blood pressure. An unpleasant rounded object covered with some kind of ice-cold gel roamed my neck, and it seemed to be giving off some kind of micro-electric current, as I felt an unpleasant stinging in my skin. Then, without asking for my permission, she rolled up the bottom of my shirt, revealing my bare lower abdomen. Using the same freezing cold gel-coated instrument, she ran it over my stomach, causing shivers to run through my body. I bit my lip, tensing.
“ What are you doing?” I grunted.
“Just a few tests,” she said lightly. “Nothing to worry about.”
It grated at my nerves the way she talked to me like I was a child. I couldn’t help but wonder if she had a gun near her as she sat examining me. Though even if she didn’t, and I managed to overpower her and escape, where would I go? Heck, I didn’t even know that I could leave this laboratory. It had required Mark’s thumbprint to enter, and it might not be possible even to exit this place without another authorized fingerprint. I guessed that I could try to drag Jocelyn along to the door and force her finger against the device… but then what? I was still in the middle of nowhere. I would likely freeze before I ever found help, or more likely, they would catch me first. I pushed away the fantasy of escape. If they didn’t let me go voluntarily soon, I would have no choice but to attempt it… but when I did, I needed to have a good plan. Otherwise I would only find myself in worse trouble.
My focus returned to Jocelyn. She had finished freezing my stomach with her probe, and had hopefully put the damn thing away. She had now moved to my feet where, for reasons I couldn’t fathom, she had begun digging her fingers against
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