The leopard man—Dawson—came in the room.
“You can go, Emma,” he said.
He spoke sternly and firmly as though to a child. She looked afraid but didn’t move.
“Emma, go,” he said.
She took the drink with her and left. Dawson leaned on the wall of my bed, his white hair falling down around his shoulders like some evil wizard’s.
“So how do you feel?” he asked without a smile.
“How do you think I feel, tied up like this? Like an animal,” I said.
“If you agree to cooperate, we can release you. No shackles whatsoever. But you have to agree.”
“I want to be untied and set free. There’s nothing else I’ll agree to.”
He sighed and pressed a button. The walls of my bed slid down to the floor with a heavy thunk. No safety codes here. He pulled a large knife out of his pocket, flicked it open. The long blade gleamed in the light as he turned it. I tried not to flinch as he brought it closer.
He slipped the blade under my restraints and sawed through them until I was free. He pulled them away, closed the knife, and slid it in back into his pocket. I rubbed my sore wrists.
I got out of bed. I was still in my clothes.
“Where are my shoes?” I asked.
He grabbed me by the upper arm and pulled me out of the room. Barefoot.
The guard followed us down the hallway. We came to a turn and he went right, dragging me roughly along the tiled floor. “You’re hurting me,” I said.
“Really? So sorry, Your Majesty.”
Muffled screams reached us as we approached the end of the hall.
I recognized the voice. Hyden.
Terror shot through me. “What are you doing to him?” I yelled, struggling to pull myself from Dawson’s grasp.
He gripped me harder and shoved me in front of a large window, pressing my face against the glass. Inside a room sat an enormous tube-shaped machine. A projection of a tranquil forest on the wall was in direct contrast to the violent scene being played out in front of it. Two Enders held on to Hyden’s arms as he tugged and twisted, trying to get away. A third Ender stood against the wall, watching. He had an amused look on his face, which disappeared as soon as he spotted Dawson.
This would have hurt anyone, but for Hyden, who felt pain just from touching, it must have been torture.
Dawson nodded curtly to the men. Instead of being more gentle with Hyden, they began to push him back and forth between them, as if they were tossing a ball. Hyden struggled to stay on his feet.
“Stop it! Stop them!” I pounded my palms on the glass. My insides were being twisted.
Sweat beaded on Hyden’s face, and his skin had never looked so pale. Dark circles ringed his eyes. Had he been beaten?
“You don’t understand. This could kill him,” I said.
“Only you can stop it,” Dawson said. “You know what I want to hear.”
Hyden fell, but the Enders caught him as he slumped and pulled him back up on his feet. They dragged him over to the window, right in front of me, and pressed his face flat against the glass.
“Hyden.” My heart felt like it was going to crack in half.
“I’ll do it,” I said to Dawson. “I’ll do your tests.”
Dawson smirked and nodded to the Enders behind the glass. They let go of Hyden. But he stayed against the glass, his hand moving up to match my palm.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“What about Michael?” I asked as Dawson escorted me back down the hall. I was still barefoot, but for the first time since I’d arrived I was walking on my own instead of being dragged. They knew my weakness and how to get to me. But I couldn’t help it; I had to stop them. Now I was even more determined to find a way to get us all out of here.
“What about him?” Dawson said.
He opened a door, and we entered a lab where a female Ender was putting on white rubber gloves.
“Where is he?” I asked Dawson.
“Resting,” he said before walking out.
I wondered if Michael was really all right. Or whether “resting” really meant some Ender was now jacking him.
The female Ender wore white rubber clothing, pants, boots, and an apron over a nylon shirt. She made me strip and then stand on a rubber platform that drained to the floor while water sprayed at me from different directions. She put on goggles and rubbed me with a rough cloth. It reminded me of the body bank, only not as fancy. Whatever this place was, their budget was a lot smaller.
After I dried off, she handed me a surgical gown.
“What is this for?” I asked her. “What’s going to happen to me?”
She didn’t even make eye contact. It was like I had no voice. She took my arm before I could put on the gown. I held it to my front while she pulled me into another room. A different Ender waited for me there.