Chapter 8 Part 3: Resistance

I was dozing on the teddy bear when a voice startled me awake.

“Jeff?”

Jeff. Jeff. That was my name. But the unfamiliar voice sounded too familiar. Too intimate. I kept my discomfort to myself and sat up.

Amy. Tall. Long, shimmering pink hair.

“Yes?”

I was glad they mistook me for a test subject. The news portrayed these terrorists as ruthless and cruel. If they knew I was just a lab assistant, I’d be dead.

“It’s dinnertime.” She offered her hand.

I stared at it. Anyone who’d seen her blast through reinforced glass wouldn’t touch that hand so readily. I couldn’t bring myself to take it.

I felt a chill. Shine’s warmth was gone. I looked around. She stood in the doorway, watching me.

“Dinner?” I was hungry.

I stood up, cautiously avoiding Amy, and made my way through the pile of teddy bears. Amy lowered her hand, her expression unreadable.

I panicked. Had I offended her? I didn’t want to end up like a puddle of melted goo. I hesitated, wondering if I should take her hand after all.

Shine took my hand. I was surprised. In over a year of observing her, I’d never seen her so assertive.

“You two are close, aren’t you?” Amy said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Did we look close? Maybe to her. I felt uneasy. Shine’s unwavering gaze was unsettling. We weren’t close. Not like this.

Amy led us to the cafeteria. The hallway was clean and spacious, not as high-tech as the lab, but well-maintained.

The aroma of food hit us as we entered the cafeteria. My stomach rumbled. I swallowed, looking around. A normal cafeteria. How could a terrorist group afford such a large building? The police were useless.

My eyes scanned the room. I needed to memorize the layout. Escape routes.

“What do you want to eat?” Amy asked.

“Pork cutlet,” I said, without thinking. I needed food for energy. To escape.

“And you?” Amy asked Shine.

Shine didn’t answer, just squeezed my hand and looked at me.

“I haven’t heard your name yet. What is it?” Amy bent down to Shine’s level.

Shine didn’t look at her.

“Shine,” she said, her voice flat, identical to mine.

“Shine?” Amy looked at me, thinking I’d spoken.

I hadn’t. Shine had said her own name. I was stunned. She hated revealing her name. No one at the lab knew it.

“Okay, Shine. Tell me what you want. We have everything.” The menu was extensive. A talented chef, apparently.

“The same,” Shine said, still looking at me.

Amy turned to me, then back to Shine, realizing it hadn’t been me. She smiled.

“You finally spoke!” Talking to someone who never responded must be exhausting. I sympathized with Amy.

She led us to a table and lifted us onto chairs. It happened so fast, I didn’t have time to react. I stared at her, bewildered. She smiled and patted my head.

It felt strange. I touched my hair where her hand had been. Shine grabbed my hand, a look of disapproval in her eyes.

“What?” She didn’t answer, just held my hand tightly.

Amy returned with two trays laden with pork cutlets. I could feel the drool forming. I wiped my mouth and picked up the fork and knife. They felt heavy. The cool metal of the knife brought back a familiar feeling. I was going to murder this pork cutlet.

I sliced through the crispy breading, revealing the steaming, juicy meat.

Slice, slice. My knife skills were impeccable.

“Ahahaha!” A sudden burst of high-pitched laughter startled me. I looked up.

Amy was laughing, tears streaming down her face. I didn’t understand.

“Sorry. You’re so cute.”

Cute? Who? I looked at Shine. She was staring intently at her pork cutlet, fork and knife in hand. She was cute, yes, but not laugh-out-loud funny.

Amy was strange. But then, terrorists weren’t known for their sanity.

I dipped the cutlet in sauce and took a bite. Crispy, savory, sweet, juicy. A smile spread across my face. Delicious.

Shine seemed to enjoy it too. I could sense her pleasure, even though her expression remained unchanged. Perhaps it was because we shared the same body.

Amy cleared our trays. I sat there, enjoying the service, a foolish thought creeping into my mind. Maybe staying here wasn’t so bad, as long as they didn’t find out who I really was.

The news came on a large TV screen. Footage of the lab. Smoke billowing from the damaged building. Injured people groaning. A male researcher, his head bleeding, sat slumped on the ground. I didn’t know his name, but I recognized him.

A cold sweat trickled down my back. No one in the cafeteria seemed to care.

The news switched to footage of the terrorists in their white masks and suits, moving through the darkness. It wasn’t enough to identify them, but it was the first time their images had been captured.

Then, a report about missing persons from the lab. Shine’s picture appeared. A photo of her, expressionless. More pictures of Shine. And then, one that wasn’t her. Me. Wearing slippers, a lollipop in my mouth, walking down a hallway in the lab. Taken near the staff quarters.

“That was a horrible place, wasn’t it?” Amy sighed, stroking my and Shine’s heads. She thought we’d been subjected to horrific experiments.

Her hand on my head felt like a brand. I nodded vigorously, my heart pounding.

“Yes!” I had to play the role of a traumatized test subject.

“Don’t worry. We’ll never send you back there.” Her voice was gentle, reassuring, but terrifying.

I subtly moved my head away from her hand. It was exhausting, pretending.

I wanted to go home. More importantly, I was worried about my body. Was it safe? I was starting to feel anxious. It was just a lab assistant’s body. Even if Hebrum was a friend, how long would he keep it?

Amy gave us a large bag filled with drinks and snacks. It was heavy. I had to hold it with both arms.

“Sorry! I have to go. Something came up. I’ll see you in the morning. Go back to your room and rest.”

She left. I clutched the bag and walked back to the room, Shine following silently.

I continued to play the role of the frightened girl, but my eyes scanned the hallways, memorizing the layout.

Back in the room, I dropped the bag in the middle of the floor. Snacks and drinks scattered everywhere.

“Ugh…” This small body was so weak.

I picked up a can of cola, sat on a teddy bear, and popped the top.

Hiss!

The sweet scent of cola filled the air. My mouth watered. I craved sugar.