Specimen(59)

I narrow my eyes as I try to learn more details about her from the information contained in my implants, but the information is either not there or inaccessible.

“Did you work on Project Mindstorm?” I ask.

“No.” She goes back to wrapping my arm. “I knew about the concept of creating a cyber-enhanced soldier but none of the details. Not until I left. Roll over to your back, please. I want to change the bandages on your legs.”

I comply. I don’t see a reason not to. She’s a doctor, like Riley. She should have some natural inclination toward empathy, which would make her an easier target for manipulation. If I can placate her, make her see me as non-threatening, she could be taken by surprise. I could even use her as a hostage.

Anna can’t get at the bandages on my thighs by pulling up the legs of the linen pants I’m wearing, and ends up having to pull them down off my hips instead. In the process, my shirt rides up as well. Anna’s eyes focus on my stomach briefly, then slightly lower.

She licks her lips again, and I sense the dark flavor of desire on her.

Another potential avenue for escape.

She’s attracted to me. Instead of taking her by force, she could be a willing hostage—someone who will help me escape if provided with appropriate motivation.

I watch her closely as she changes the wrappings around my legs. Her fingers tremble as she slides her hand against my skin, and she continues to lick her lips with nervousness. I’m fairly certain she didn’t have this same reaction when she treated me before, and I wonder what the difference is.

“How do I look?” I ask when she finishes her work. I give her an intentionally seductive half-smile when she glances at me.

“You heal very quickly,” Anna says. Her blush is quite noticeable now. “I thought I had the wrong room when I opened the door. Your face was so bruised before, I barely recognized you.”

Anna places the leftover bandages in her bag and pulls out a syringe.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“Just vitamin supplements,” she tells me. She places the needle at the inside of my elbow and pushes the plunger. “Merle said you didn’t eat much today. You really need to take in nourishment to keep your strength up. How are you feeling?”

“Everything hurts,” I answer honestly.

“I’m not surprised.” She presses her lips together. She doesn’t like how I was treated when I first arrived.

“Do they do that a lot?” I ask. “Torture prisoners?”

“I’m not entirely sure they’ve ever had a prisoner before,” Anna says. “But no, they don’t normally act like that, and I’m not very happy with them.”

I nod, both to her and to myself. She is empathetic. I’m sure I’ll be able to use her to my advantage.

“That box they put me in…” My voice trails off as my throat seizes up on me. I try to swallow, but I can’t. It feels like my tongue is swelling up. I push my shoulder against the bed to roll over, but my body suddenly goes stiff, and I start to shake uncontrollably.

“Galen? Galen!” Anna’s face looms over me, but I can’t respond to her. “Merle! I need help! He’s having a seizure!”

She places her hands on my shoulders, holding me to the bed. I can’t feel her touch; I can only watch her actions as someone else enters the room. I can’t focus enough to tell who it is.

“Grab my bag! Look for a bottle marked benzodiazepine.”

I jerk and thrash, but I still can’t feel anything. Bright lights flicker in my eyes and in my head, but there’s no accompanying information in my mind.

“Hold him down. Make sure his head is turned to the side.”

I watch Anna fill another syringe from a vial and inject it into my thigh. After a few seconds, my body stills and I collapse on the mattress. I still can’t feel anything, and I can only breathe in quick, short breaths.

“The implants are totally fucked,” Errol says. I don’t know when he came into the room or how long he’s been here. “They’re going into critical failure.”

I can only barely hear the words, but my heart beats faster at his diagnosis. What happens to me if the implants fail? Were they scrambling themselves, like Merle said they could do if someone tried to access information? Is this going to kill me?

“What did you do to him?” Merle is next to me now.

“I only gave him a vitamin shot. It’s the same one everyone gets. That shouldn’t be having this kind of effect.”

“Vitamins aren’t going to interfere with the implants,” Errol says. “I hate to admit it, but I don’t know what’s going on. There could be a defect in the original manufacturing. Some of this doesn’t fit with my design at all.”