Normally, Law would be furious that the entire crew was jammed up against the infirmary door, trying to peak through the small glass window. There was a lot of rustling; men shoved each other out of the way to look inside and small fights almost broke out, but they quieted down quickly when Law shot a deadly glare in their direction.
"Are they alright?" Reid whispered, glancing towards the boisterous crew quizzically. Turning back towards the charts and reports on Reid's condition, he grinned with a low chuckle.
"They're just…mother-henning." And Reid went back to picking at the very simple meal Casper had made for him.
"How long have I been…asleep?" He sipped quietly at his glass of water. Law sighed, the humor slowly fading away.
"A few months." The machines around them beeped steadily, marking the uneasy silence as Reid absorbed this information. Liam, who was sitting on a stool next to the bed, sighed deeply.
"Do you remember anything?" He asked, and Reid frowned in thought.
"Yeah, I think so." He looked back over to his friend. "We went looking for Kat's mom, right? We were ambushed?"
"Right." Liam smiled, despite everything. At least his friend didn't have amnesia or memory loss. His captain seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"It's surprising that you don't have any memory loss at all. That injury to your head was critical." Law finished checking off things on Reid's medical record and placed it back into the filing space where the rest of the crew's documents were. Walking back over to the bed, he surveyed his reawakened crewmate.
"No headaches?" He asked. Reid shook his head.
"Nope."
"Nausea? Dizziness? Vision changes?"
"Nah, nothing like that." Reid ate the last of his simple meal, and Liam took the tray away, placing it on the counter for him to take back to the kitchen later.
"No symptoms of discomfort or pain?"
Reid shook his head. "Right as rain, Captain." He said with a smile.
Law nodded in approval. "Tell either me or Liam if you start to feel pain or discomfort." With that, Law gestured for Liam to follow him. "Casper should be making the rest of the crew's lunch soon."
Liam stayed next to the bed, eyes downcast. "I'd like to stay here with Reid, Captain."
The captain looked to Reid for his approval, after all it was ultimately his decision. With a small smile, he nodded and Law returned the gesture.
"Thank you, Captain." Liam watched as he pushed through the infirmary doors, scolding those who still tried to go inside.
"So, what's happened in the past few months? What have I missed?" Reid asked, resting his head back against the pillow. Liam shook his head with a humored sigh.
"A lot more than I think you'll believe."
"Try me." Reid raised an eyebrow, a smile slowly spreading across his face.
"Alright, but you don't know what you're in for." The two laughed, and Liam felt as though one of the many chains surrounding his heart broke away, letting him feel good things again. He'd feared that his best friend would never wake up again, and like an answer to one of his thousands of prayers, here he was talking and laughing with him once again.
Maybe things were looking up. For once.
Doctor Mundy surveyed the newly-constructed experimentation room with approval, hands grasped behind his back as his careful eye took in every small detail. The man he'd hired certainly did a wondrous job meeting his expectations, and that was quite an accomplishment in itself.
Koda walked beside him, glancing around in frustration. "What exactly was this room built for? There doesn't seem to be anything scientifically beneficial besides having more storage space." He said cynically.
The Doctor glanced patiently at his colleague. "This room was built specifically for special effects and three dimensional immersion." He produced a strange remote-like device from his pocket.
"What's that?" Koda asked, and the Doctor smiled.
"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?" He frowned, wondering why such a question was relevant at all. But, not one to doubt the thoughts and plans of the Doctor, he conceded.
"Amazon Lily. The flora and mammal population there are exotic and very little is known about them. Researching there would be quite enlightening, I would think."
"A strange choice, Nurse Koda." The Doctor pressed a few buttons on the device and the room's lights dimmed. A few more presses later and something amazing began to happen.
The room changed around them, transforming itself into wildly green forests. Koda felt as though he were standing in an actual forest, the effects were so lifelike.
"What is this?" He wondered in awe.
"This is Amazon Lily."
"How is this possible?" The Doctor terminated the program, and the room went back to how it had looked originally.
"I called upon a favor in the technologic community. They have created the idea of a completely realistic three dimensional illusionary…simulation, if you will. The implications of such a technology have yet to be discovered, but I'm quite confident we can use it to our advantage." He examined the device, lost in his thoughts for a moment. "There is an observation room above us. Illusions we project only affect those inside the room itself, so we will be able to observe every move and reaction from above."
"Surely Subject 711-A549 will see through the illusion? She is by no means unintelligent." The Doctor chuckled, placing the device back into his pocket.
"Hallucinogenic medications and drugs will be paired with this room to create in the Subject's mind the very reality she is living in now. She will not even be aware of the difference."
"Quite innovative, Doctor." Koda complimented, following his mentor back into the hallway. "When will the testing begin?"
"Immediately."
1,251…1,252…1,253
She circled the room once more, counting up with each rotation. She felt cramped, trapped within a small cage like some animal. At least she was moving around more than when Viper had chained her to the chair. Small victories.
"Subject 711-A549, remain stationary and wait for the nurses to escort you to the testing room."
She let out a deep sigh, intentionally loud enough for the microphones to pick up. "You know, letting me exercise a little everyday wouldn't be a crime!"
Predictably, the speaker didn't respond to her taunt. Summer expected nothing less. They were all just a bunch of assholes.
The door unlatched and two female nurses walked inside. One held a pair of handcuffs-of course she did, because how else would Summer possibly be able to walk from room to room except restrained like she was a threat even to herself?
Begrudgingly, she allowed the first nurse to cuff her- her name badge read Nurse Preacher. She would remember that.
"Please follow me." The other nurse said, starting to head down the hall. Summer rolled her eyes.
"Like I have any other option…" She muttered under her breath. Deciding she wasn't moving fast enough, the nurse behind her pushed her shoulder to get her moving. Turning, she gave the nurse her best glare. She hesitated or flinched a little. Either way, the satisfaction it sent through Summer was exhilarating. She hadn't had power like that in awhile. It felt nice to be feared.
They headed towards a part of the facility she'd never been before, which was strange, considering how much time she'd been held there. The stale smell of new plaster and disinfectant pierced her nose, and she wrinkled her nose. Obviously something had been going on just recently, as both scents were fresh and strong.
"In here." The nurse said, unlocking the door with a key from her pocket. Summer frowned. None of the testing room before had ever been locked. They were all open rooms, public places where all staff were allowed to come and go. This one, obviously, was special in some way.
Summer stopped, seeing that the inside held…nothing. Flashbacks of the dark room and the puppy and the gun raced through her mind, speeding up her heart rate.
"Be calm." Nemesis helped her calm down with…whatever it was she did to send waves of peace throughout her body. Summer still appreciated it though. It was like she had a secret ally against all these evil medical staffers.
The second nurse then produced a small vial and needle from her pocket, and Summer immediately tensed up.
"Hold her." She said, and the first nurse kicked the back of Summer's knees, sending her to the ground in a kneeling position.
"No! Get off!" Her weak attempts to punch the nurse directly behind her were useless, and her face was pushed the the ground, her arms trapped behind her back. She couldn't move.
"Hold still." Grinding out the words through gritted teeth, she steadied the needle containing the unknown liquid and gripped her arms tightly. Summer tried to resist, but nonetheless felt the metal dig deep into her flesh. She hissed in pain, the sensation of something cold swirl in her veins for a brief moment before going away entirely.
The two nurses released her, uncaring her hands in the same moment, and she scrambled away quickly. Their job done, they left the room, locking it behind them. Left inside alone, Summer looked around for any sort of clue as to what was going on.
Looking up, her head began to spin. She held on to her skull, and a searing pain erupted through the flesh. "Noooo…" She moaned, falling once more to the floor. Baring her teeth, she clawed at her arm where they'd injected whatever substance had been in that damned needle. It had to come out. It had to go away.
"Go away!" She shouted to the empty room, which seemed to shift and change in never-ending patterns. When had it started changing? She hadn't noticed. Was it always this yellow? Why did it smell like saltwater? Everything was hurting her head.
"Do not-" "It's-" "Child you-" She kept hearing this strange voice in her head but it faded in and out. It was confusing and she squeezed her eyes closed tightly.
"Summer-ya." A voice called, and she immediately opened her eyes. Around her was no longer the white room or the shifting colors, but the shore of some island. The waves lapped gently against the sand, the crashing sound so familiar to her from her time at sea. The sun beat down, tingling her cold skin. It felt so warm…
Something large loomed above her, and she glanced up at it. It was the sub, her favorite big, yellow submarine that she'd missed so much. She smiled with genuine joy, something she hadn't done in who knows how long?
"Summer-ya." The voice called louder, and she pushed up from her position on the sand. She felt the grains in between her fingers, before letting them fall away to the ground below. Standing, she turned and saw…
Her eyes widened, her whole body instantly relaxing at the man before her. She was almost too afraid to speak. when she did, it was barely above a hoarse whisper.
"…Law?"
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