Unit 683 Excerpt

7/29/2019 Unit 683 Excerpt

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Unit 683

By: K.C. Cooper

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This book is dedicated to a close friend who helped me

work through the plot of the story I now refer to as Unit

683.

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Prologue

Goodsville was never settled, but created. Thistown, built to be the average temperature and to

maintain average conditions contains average people.Many flooded in to be evaluated and were almost

immediately denied entrance. It was a well-known factthat to even be considered as a citizen of Goodsville, one

must be perfectly average. There can be no

malfunctions.The next step in the process is to sign a bindingcontract, legally positioning you in Goodsville for the

remaining years of your life. After the maximumpopulation is reached, no one enters, no one leaves. The

benefits promised to you would be safety for an averagelife, but of course there is one exception. Project C.

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To live in Goodsville, one must live their day today life surrounded by androids. These robots are

created as small children, elderly people, teenagers, and

as young and middle aged adults. Anyone beside you onthe subway or walking their dog could be an android.

Identifying one is simple. Each is labeled by their

unique identification number on their forearm. And justas everyone else, they live average lives, assigned to

average jobs, and some are even assigned life partners.This is all a part of the government funded experiment,

Project C.

The purpose of Project C is to exempt realhumans from experimentation in order to find cures andsolutions based off of studies on androids instead. These

androids age, grow, feel emotions, eat, bathe, and everyaction is recorded as data within their systems. An

android is only studied and put through experimentationonce it malfunctions. And when one malfunctions, they

are reported to the authorities, and are rounded up by

soldiers who march them to Unit 683.

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Chapter 1: The March

Unit 683 was no mystery to those of us who lived withinthe walls of Creetz, where the malfunctioners go. Thetowering electric fences sealed in a world of darkness,despair, and secrecy. No one beyond those lines would

ever assume the atrocities that took place there, andmost would forever deny the existence of Unit 683.

I had been a recent arrival marched in from a

neighboring town of Creetz when I finally learned of theman-made horrors of the institution. There werehundreds of us. All huddled together being marched from

our homes, across town, and into the woods where wewould discover the terrifying, fire-spitting factory that

lay deep within.

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Some children had been torn from the grasps oftheir parents, others handed them off easily. Some

adults fought and were beaten down into submission,

others came willingly. Some came sobbing and otherscame mortified, while still others managed to muster upthe courage to not make a sound. Regardless, we all

shared one thing in common. We had all been accused ofmalfunctioning, and were, as a result, sentenced to unit

683. No one had any knowledge of the place. But therewere rumors.

Keep walking! A soldier jabbed one of the men

with his rifle. The man had fought earlier in an attemptto escape, but it was in vain. Now his leg was brokenand he had trouble moving forward.

People came out of their apartments to get themail or to rid themselves of their garbage, and they all

managed to stop out of curiosity in order to gaze at themalfunctioners, marching to their fates.

Some children were crying, while others couldnt.

The elderly waddled behind, constantly being pushedforward and reprimanded for their inability to keep up.

We marched for hours until the street lights of

Goodsville disappeared beneath the hills. I thought ofour homes, of our families, of our lives. We had things to

do, people to see, places to go. Now we were onlyheaded in one direction. Unit 683.

When I got the fatal knock on my door, I knew it

was coming. I had a simple plan to handle the situation.Send my wife to the store, then leave a note on thetable as I waited. It was coming soon, as I was hearing

the marching come from down the street. It wouldnt belong, I thought, before they added me to the group.

I was sitting in the living room of our smallapartment when it happened, looking at all of the

pictures of me and Kirsten. She smiled in all of them,while I portrayed a constant, blank stare that lacked

emotion, as she said. But I held her close in every oneof the pictures, doing exactly what she wanted. And we

were happy.

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She married me because she needed the moneythe government would give her, but somehow, over the

years, we fell in love. When she signed up to be a part of

the experiment, she was assigned to me, her androidand lifetime partner- or at least until I malfunctioned.

From the day I was legally signed into her life,

she expected me to care for her. And I did. I wasassigned a job and I provided for her day after day, and

she fulfilled her role in the experiment by behaving justas a classic house wife should.

And over the years, I aged appropriately without

a single flaw, drawing her closer to me as we fell in love.She said she loved me just as you would love a child.

You dont choose the personality of your child, she

would say, so you love them regardless. I didnt chooseyou, but when you arrived at my door, I knew I would

love you for the rest of my life. Because you were mine.We were happy together. She was beautiful,

sweet, and craved affection. And I was everything she

needed. I analyzed the moments between us, includingher reactions, and determined exactly how to make herhappy. She desired physical contact, and among other

things, communication.She wanted to know everything. How my day

was, what work was like, who I spoke to, what I wasthinking. I answered all of her questions, held her closeat all times, and she was satisfied.

Then it was done. Two sharp knocks to the frontdoor. I lifted my bag, opened the door, and nodded tothe soldier standing outside as I passed him to get in

line. Then off we went.Thats how they collected us, the malfunctioners.

In herds like animals. This herd in particular was quitesolemn. All of the men, women, and children marched

with their heads down, avoiding eye contact with any ofthe soldiers guiding them throughout the town.

Now the evening was becoming night as the sundescended and the insects came to life. By this time the

group was approaching the end of the woods, and nowwe could see the first sign of our doom. Smoke. The sky

was filled with dark smoke as if hell was burning throughthe Earths crust.

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We all stopped dead in our tracks, gazing up atthe smoke as it drifted away into the starry night. Then

we were pushed forward by the soldiers. I heard a man

fall to his knees, and turned to see if he was alright. Asoldier had pushed him too hard and now stood behindthe man, waiting for him to get up. I could tell this man

was weak. He shook as he balanced on his hands andknees.

Hell get up, the soldier said in a hoarse voice,looking down so low that I couldnt see his eyes under

the beak of his cap. He looked down on the man shaking

on the ground, not with pity, but with superiority.I looked back to the weak man who was now

pushing himself slowly off of the ground. His legs

wobbled and he could hardly stand up straight. Hishunched back kept him leaned over. The soldier spit in

his direction, and once again, jabbed the man in theback with his rifle.

The man stumbled forward, and just then, I

realized how long I had been standing there. I lookedahead to see that the group along with the rest of thesoldiers had disappeared over the hill.

I walked alongside the man with the hunchedback and refused to look back at the soldier who

continued to spit behind us. The most horrid smell sweptthrough the air now. Something was burning.

They say once you get in Creetz, you never see

your old life again. Its over from this point on. The oldman spoke with a rough voice and coughed between hissentences. I didnt turn to face him, but I tuned my

hearing in his direction.Whats that, old man? I said. My arms swung

back and forth with every step I took.Creetz. Thats where were going, He replied.

I know. Ive known that for a very long time.Well, did you know that theres no way out?

Never seen no one from Creetz, have you? Hebegan coughing again until the soldier whacked

him on the back with his rifle.Shut up, you! The soldier spat.

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All I could hear now was the crunching of leavesbeneath our feet and bugs communicating with each

other. I wondered why the old man asked me whether I

had ever seen someone from Creetz. We continued towalk in silence until we could see something beyond thehills.

Theres your new home. The soldier laughed tohimself as if he had just made a joke.

Home, the old man scoffed.As we approached the large, cement building

guarded by tall, electric wires, the sense of ultimate

doom began to overwhelm me. The smoke was comingfrom the chimneys of the building, hovering over it likeclaws, ready to grasp. The group was entering the open

gates slowly, half going one direction, half going theother.

Once we were closer to the gates, I realized thegroup was split by a single man, waving his hand in

either direction, sending each person off on their own

way. He wore a black suit and black pants, standingbetween the two gates in his shiny boots, with his hairslicked back.

He stood erect, whistling an unfamiliar tune ashe sent everyone in one direction or the other with his

white gloved hand. Nothing about his stature rangintimidating. In fact, he appeared to be just a regular,clean cut gentleman. I was unaware at the time that this

man would determine my fate.The soldier marched us towards this strangeman, the old man behind me, and with hardly a glance

and a swift move of the hand, we were both sent off tothe left. Everyone on the left side was older and male, all

standing in a straight line as ordered by another soldiermonitoring them.

The women, children, and younger men weresent to the right, creating a line parallel to the one on

the left. A soldier on that side proceeded create twomore lines, separating the men from the women, and

then the children from the adults.

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The old man appeared to be limping behind menow, which gave me the opportunity to find a place in

line ahead of him. I worked my way through the line of

men and found a spot in the middle where I chose tostand, avoiding the old man that was persistent to sharehis warnings with me.

Everyone stood in silence as the soldiersmarched up and down the lines, monitoring every

movement a malfunctioner could make. The smoke-filled, night sky hovered over us, blocked by a shield of

lights placed around the building.

I glanced at the man standing next to me, and abead of sweat slid down the side of his face. His eyeswere intently focused on the ground, his arms dangled

straight down, and he stood with as decent of posture ashe could. That was when I realized that all of the men

stood this way, with me as the only exception. I quicklyadjusted my stance and breathed quietly as the soldier

passed me, careful not to draw attention towards myself.

Just then, the soldiers on the other side orderedthe men, women, and children, to shift their positionsand to march towards the right side of the eerie, box-

like, cement building behind us. The gentleman in blackexamined his gloves, rubbed his fingers together, and

placed both of his hands in his pockets before walkingover towards my line.

He walked slowly and made sure to make eye

contact with each and every one of us before he stoppednext to the soldier who was monitoring us. His eyeslocked with mine, his piercing blue eyes that were buried

deep in his skull, and he whispered something to thesoldier.

Is anyone here, He then spoke aloud,projecting his voice powerfully, a man who has

malfunctioned mentally? His voice was clear and hesmiled just the slightest bit as he cocked his head to the

side.Without moving my head, I glanced to my left

and to my right to see if anyone raised their hands, andno one did.

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Dont be shy, The gentleman said calmly,stretching his smile further across his face to flash his

perfect white teeth. I only ask as an invitation. My

fingers twitched.Ah, very nice. Wont you join me, gentlemen?

He then said after a moment. Two men who had raised

their hands stepped forward and cautiously followed himas he turned to walk towards the building. I watched him

lead the two, without marching, into this institution,labeled just above the door, Unit 683.

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Chapter 2: System Protection Unit

You will now all be acquiring new data to fix

your malfunctions with our new electronic protectionsystem, A soldier sternly projected. Another soldierwalked up the line, ordering us to turn to face the

building. You will go around the corner of the building,pass your beds, and stop at the following building by the

front door, the first soldier continued, There will be notalking, and you will stay in line until ordered otherwise!

He yelled feverishly to the point that I could see the spitspraying from his mouth like a violent eruption.

We were all marched slowly around the corner ofUnit 683, passed the shabby, wooden, overlapping

beds, built in a barn like structure behind the Unit, andtowards the tall, cement building labeled System

Protection Unit in bold, black letters above the metal,windowless doors in the front.

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The ground was just dirt. All of the grass in thisarea within the gates appeared to have died

instantaneously. And the odor I smelled earlier grew

stronger with every step I took. I noticed the smokecoming from a building beside the System ProtectionUnit, which was more than likely the source of this

horrific scent I endured.The soldier leading us entered in a code into an

object by the doors that looked like a scientific calculatorbefore the doors slid open at an obnoxiously loud

volume. We entered a large, open room with cement

floors and walls, with the only apparent exit being theentrance itself. There were two windowless doors acrossthe room, which were labeled once again, as System

Protection Unit.Everyone walked in a single filed line until we

realized that we did not all fit unless we separated. Onesoldier led us in while the other two stayed outside and

closed the door. We were sealed in like captured pray.

Now remove your clothes, drop yourbelongings, and you will be set up for ten minutes! Thesoldier inside commanded. He stood by the System

Protection Unit doors with his arms folded behind hisback and his legs apart. I dropped my bag and turned to

face the wall. Undress in front of all of these people? Ihad never done anything like that before.

Say goodbye to your clothes and your

belongings, I heard from behind me, They snatch it allonce youre in there.I turned to see the old man from earlier with his

arms crossed and his clothes on. He stared me downwith a harsh intensity that made me fidget.

Who are you? I asked him. The old mangrunted and pushed up his sleeve, revealing the number

99481.Not your identification number, old man, I said,

pulling my shirt off. Your name. I dropped my shirt bymy bag and started to unbutton my pants. He pulled his

sleeve down and waddled over to my side.The names Tibby, he said in a low voice as if it

were some dark secret. I leaned away to avoid hisstench.

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Clothes off! The soldier said from across theroom. He now stood while holding his rifle across his

chest. The soldier was clearly staring at Tibby, his eyes

covered by a dark shadow cast across his face by thebeak of his cap.

Tibby snarled and grabbed my bicep as if he

were trying to keep his balance.They take your name, they take your clothes,

and they break you down. They think that cause theygave you life, he said in a husky voice, that they can

take it right back. His nails dug painfully into my skin

until I made a gargled sound.Let go! I whispered harshly, hoping I could get

him to back off before I attracted the attention of that

soldier.I know these things, he said once he released

my arm. I rubbed the spot where his fingernails leftindentions just as I noticed the soldier glaring in my

direction. Or at least it appeared as if her were glaring.

I took a few steps away from Tibby andproceeded to take my pants off unsuspiciously. As Iscanned the room I began to realize that everyone was

finished undressing, and was awkwardly shielding theirbodies from the views of others.

I quickly slipped out of my black dress pants andpulled off my shoes and socks. Once I was fully bare, Iturned around to see that the soldier had made his way

over to Tibby.Take em off, the soldier said, raising his rifleto Tibbys throat. Tibby glared back at the man, and

before I knew it, I was frozen with shock. Tibby had spatin the soldiers face.

The soldier wiped the saliva from his eye with hisfree hand and continued to glare at Tibby.

You think you got guts? The soldier asked him.He pushed the rifle upwards, forcing Tibby to raise his

chin.I got my dignity and thats all I need, Tibby

replied. The others were now all staring at the scene,less concerned now about their own nudity.

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Youll die with your dignity, said the soldier.He reached for Tibbys shirt, tugged on it hard and

vicious, and three buttons popped off. Now Tibby stood

still. Solid and still with his shirt open and a rifle pointedup his jaw.

But he refused to break eye contact with the

soldier. Tibbys bold, yet deformed stance failed tointimidate the soldier, but he was sure drawing a crowd.

The other men gazed in awe, some with their mouthsgaping open.

After a long, tense silence, Tibby slowly reached

down without looking away from the soldier and undidhis belt. The soldier glared at Tibby and slowly loweredhis rifle before backing up as he watched Tibby step out

of his pants. Tibby kicked his pants aside, and beganundoing the rest of his shirt buttons.

The soldier jabbed Tibbys pants with his rifleand dragged them towards himself. Tibby watched the

soldiers eyes as they stayed focused on him. The soldier

then spit a large wad of saliva into the pants, andstomped on them, digging his muddy heal into themuntil he left a deep smudge.

Tibby continued to unbutton his shirt as if hedidnt notice. My heart raced as the soldier finished by

stomping his boot on the pants, flakes of dirt bouncingoff of his foot and onto the floor.

He finally broke eye contact with Tibby when he

turned to walk towards the large metal doors sealing offthe System Protection Unit.Everybody inside, He announced as he pressed

the large black button beside the doors. The doors slidopen, revealing a large, box, cement room with different

colored wires hooked up to the walls that snaked aroundthe floor.

Slowly the men in the room began to huddle intothe System Protection Unit, each grabbing a loose wire

and attaching it to their receivers.Once the soldier was shielded by the herd of

naked bodies, I realized Tibby was putting his clothesback on. I tried to leave him behind to his business, but

he extended his arm towards me, grabing my hand andyanking me back.

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If you want to live, he said in a husky voice,youll put your clothes back on. I pulled my hand from

his grasp and backed away.

He looked up at me as he stepped into his nowmuddied pants. I mean it, he said seriously. Hellmake our lives hell, but well live. I was about to turn

back around when I suddenly heard the suction of thedoors closing.

I spun around to see the room empty and soldierquickly approaching us.

Before you say anything, Tibby said calmly

while he zipped up his pants, we shouldnt be here. Wewere brought to the wrong place, soldier.

My eyes grew wide at his words. I was helpless

and confused, but most of all, fascinated by the courageof this strange, little old man.

Were emotional malfunctioners, he continued.The soldiers blank stare remained unchanged as he

responded.

Put your clothes back on, he snapped at me. Iquickly did as he said while he continued to speak. Dr.Ravage will make better use of you two.

Once Tibby and I were dressed, we stoodtogether before we followed the soldier out of the

building. Just as we were exiting, I heard the sound ofscreams coming from the System Protection Unit.Screams of terror- of pain. Screams of death. We kept

walking.

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Chapter 3: Dr. Ravage

The soldier lead us back around the corner of thebuilding quickly. He spoke not a word to us as we

rounded Unit 683 and approached the entrance. And justlike the doors I observed before, these were metal and

windowless.Again, there was some special code that needed

to be inserted into the technological contraption locatedbeside the doors, and they noisily slid apart, revealing

what looked like a brightly lit hospital.Everything was white. The walls, the ceiling, the

large desk in the center of the room ahead of us atwhich there were two stationed men who were dressed

like nurses. For once, I saw white tiles instead of cementfor a floor.

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The large, open room was filled with the scent oflatex and medicine. Men who looked like traditional

doctors dressed in white coats were crossing the room,

entering various rooms, hallways, and elevators.I shook with nerves, clinging to my bag, but

Tibby continued to follow the soldier as if he were being

led to the bathroom. The two men behind the deskahead greeted the soldier and returned their focus to the

papers laid out before them.Tibby and I followed him to the left of the room,

where we entered a long, white hallway. My heart

continued to beat faster and faster the farther wewalked, until finally we stopped at the last door at theend of the hall.

This door was wooden and painted white. Thesoldier gave the door two sharp knocks, making me

jump slightly, then we stood in silent anticipation forwhat felt like an eternity.

I stared at the two white tiles that my feet were

perfectly centered on, awaiting the unknown.Come in, I heard a calm voice say as the door

opened. I looked up to see a thin, middle aged

gentleman in a white doctors coat standing in thedoorway with his arm out as he invited us in. A closer

look revealed to me that this was the man I had seenearlier with the white gloves who had taken the two menfrom our line.

Now that I could observe him more personally, Iunderstood him to be a fairly attractive man for his age.His smile appeared to be sincere, and his sharp, blue

eyes welcomed me just as any physical gesture could.His black hair was slicked back, and his eyebrows raised

curiously at me when he noticed my staring.I immediately refocused my eyes on the back of

Tibbys head as I followed him past this man and into theroom, leaving the soldier behind.

This room was long and brightly lit, despite thelack of windows, and beds that were shielded by white

curtains aligned the walls. There were no side tables bythe beds, and no visible medical supplies, but a single,

white cabinet hung on the wall to the right of the room,above a desk and away from the beds and the door.

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Tibby kept walking and casually approached thecabinet, his arm beginning to extend towards it. He

placed his hand on the cabinet and slid his palm down

towards the key hole. As I watched him, I heard thedoor shut behind me.

Ah, I wouldnt touch that, the doctors smooth

voice traveled through the air, attracting my attention.Tibbys fingers glazed over the key hole before

he dropped his arm back by his side. He then stared atthe cabinet for another moment as the doctor patiently

stood behind me.

I wouldnt either, Tibby said before turning toface him. His eyebrows pulled up slightly and he shovedhis hands in his pockets as he stiffly leaned back against

the desk.Why dont we get settled now? Shall we? You

may set your bag down, The doctor spoke softly as hewalked past me towards the desk. I dropped my bag on

the floor and tried to relax my shoulders.

Tibby watched as he approached him, watchingthe doctors every move.

Excuse me, the doctor said as he reached for a

drawer behind Tibbys leg. Tibby sighed and pushedhimself forward as the doctor bent over to open the

drawer.He slipped his hand in and smiled again as he

pulled out a computer. The solid white, paper thin device

immediately turned on in response to his touch, emittinga bright light that highlighted the doctors face.I continued to stand awkwardly in the same

spot, observing these two men of whom I had just meet,and interactions between them. The doctor maintained

his charismatic smile as he held the computer in onehand and typed with the other.

Tibby eyed him, his arms now crossed over hischest.

My name is Dr. Ravage, the doctor suddenlyspoke up, making eye contact with both me and Tibby

before refocusing on the computer.Now, he went on without looking up, would

you gentlemen be so kind as to reveal your identificationnumbers?

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Tibby pushed up his sleeve and presented hisnumber to Doctor Ravage, holding his shaky arm out

just below the doctors nose. Dr. Ravage pulled back and

examined the number before entering it into hiscomputer as he recited it aloud.

99481. . . he mumbled. And what is your

number? he said, looking up at me now with his lipspursed tightly in anticipation.

I realized then that I had been frozen this entiretime. I jolted slightly at the sudden attention.

Both Tibby and the doctor were staring at me

now, awaiting my response.I swallowed. Six, four, six, two, nine.

May I see? Dr. Ravage asked, his smile now

stretching further across his face. It was a simple smile,but it was reassuring.

Tibby gave me a nod, and I pushed up mysleeve, showing the bold black numbers on my arm,

64629.

Very nice, the doctor replied in approval beforeentering in the data.

Now, it is late, so I recommend that you two

find yourselves each a bed and get some rest. TomorrowI shall introduce you to the staff and we will begin our

tour of the camp.Dr. Ravage placed his computer back in the

drawer and closed it, springing back up afterwards. He

passed both of us on his way to the door, and just as heopened it, he paused and went on to say, Makeyourselves at home, before exiting and closing the door

behind him. I heard a click. The door was locked.I turned away from Tibby and picked out the bed

by my bag, which was also the closest bed to the door. Islid the curtain aside and stepped out of my shoes,

bending my knees to reach into my bag as my handfumbled around for something.

Finally I found it, and slipped it out of my bag. Apicture of Kirsten, smiling as usual with her hair braided

in pig tails no make-up on, just like she liked. She wasout in her garden in the front yard, holding up her tulip

in a pot for the picture. Tulips were her favorite flower.

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As I held the photo close, I could smell the freshgarden and feel the soft petals of every flower, with their

bright colors attracting my eyes. Kirstens garden was

almost as full of life as she was.That your wife? I jumped at the words Tibby

spoke as he appeared beside me.

Sorry, didnt mean to scare you. He said beforecoughing into his fist. I stared at him in disgust.

Excuse you, I said harshly.He raised an eyebrow at me. For coughing, or

for interrupting your moment with her? He pointed his

pudgy finger in Kirstens direction.Old man, its pretty damn rude to invade

someone elses privacy, I replied sternly.

He grinned, revealing yellowed, rotten teeth. Isthat so?

I glared at him, but he showed no response.Whats she like, eh? Looks pretty. He went on.

I sighed, looking back down at Kirsten. My

stomach churned and my chest ached.Not now, old man, I replied sadly.Bet shes fun too.

I turned my head slowly to glare at him in hopesof burning holes into his eyes with my gaze.

Back off, I said in a low, intimidating voice. Heflashed the same, repulsive grin as before.

No, I want to know, he persisted.

I looked back at Kirsten and sighed. She smiledat me so sweetly, it hurt. Before I knew it, an artificialtear squeezed its way out of my eye, and it trailed down

my cheek.Get some sleep, he said, giving me a pat on

the shoulder. I looked back at the photo once morebefore putting it back in my bag, and climbed into bed.

The sheets were thin and cold, and the pillow was stiff. Ifidgeted and turned and twisted as Tibby stared down at

me.Finally, exasperated, I slapped my arms down by

my sides and froze. Thats when it happened. I lost allcontrol of my body as it locked up on the bed. I could

barely breathe or blink.

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Tibby made a gargled laugh that ended in a fit ofcoughing. Out of the corners of my eyes, I could see him

recovering and wiping tears from his cheeks.

Youre stuck alright, he chuckled. My bodyburned with fury. I longed to make him regret hismockery of me.

Yeah, nifty little contraption this bed is, hecontinued. Sleep tight. And dont worry, your body will

loosen up in a few hours, he said as he turned aroundand slid down the side of my bed. From what I could

see, he was crouched up against it with his head

propped up against the side of my mattress. And thatswhere he slept.

I closed my eyes, as that was all I could do to,

and attempted to cool down before I tried to fall asleep.Everything was beginning to catch up with me. And now

I had nowhere, nor any way to run.When I realized that it would be a while before

sleep would come, I began counting. One, two, three

eight thousand twenty six. It obviously wasnt helping.Then I began to hear a strange, pig-like sound

coming from what I assumed to be Tibby. It was as if he

were trying to clear out all of the mucus from his throatin his sleep, which only added to his attractive

personality.

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Chapter 4: Fiona

I awoke the next morning with my eyes already

well adjusted to the lights as they had never gone off. Irealized that my body had loosened up while I wasasleep.

Every part of my face began to twitch as I began

to appreciate the ability to move. I turned my head sideto side, until I worked my way up to sitting erect. I was

free to move as I pleased, just as Tibby had said. Tibby.Morning, that familiar, rough voice had come

from below the side of the bed. Tibby breathed heavily,hunched over on the floor.

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Old man, I addressed him, pulling my legs upand wrapping my arms around my knees, tell me now.

Whats going on?

I turned my head to face him. He was stillhunched over, and I could see now that he was busyinghimself with wiping the crusty mud from his pants.

Well, he began, breathing out slowly beforegiving up on his pants, I suppose Ill have to go clothes

shopping. He looked up at me with his eyebrows pulledtogether in a scowl.

Frustrated, I moved my legs over the side of the

bed and let my feet touch the floor beside him. Tibbytook the opportunity to slap his hand on my knee,propping himself to stand up. It was a slow process, and

he put an aggravating amount of pressure on my leg,but I offered him my hand for support. He grabbed it

with his shaky hand and stood.Tibby had trouble maintaining his balance with

such a deformed figure, but he managed to stay up

without my help. He began to waddle off towards thedoor then, and I rolled my eyes, remembering it waslocked.

I looked down at my cold, bare feet and decidedto slip them back into my shoes. I stood, cracked my

back, put them on, and then it occurred to me. My bagwas no longer sitting by the bed.

Wheres my bag? I immediately questioned

Tibby. I hope you said goodbye to your stuff, hereplied, stopping to grin at me, cause youre never

seeing any of it again.Now infuriated, I rose to my feet with great

momentum as I headed straight for the door.I told you they take it, he said as I passed him.

I ignored him and reached for the doorknob.Locked. I cursed, then spun around with a

hunger for vengeance.You! I darted towards Tibby and only stopped

once we were nose to nose. Tell me where my bag is.Whats it matter? He shrugged, unphased.

Only had clothes in there anyway. My body tensed atthe thought of him searching through my bag.

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The photo, old man, I said through my teeth.Just then, I heard the sound of someone

fumbling with the doorknob. I whipped around to see it

turn and the door opened to the site of Dr. Ravage. Hewas dressed up in his white coat once again and his darkhair was slicked back just as it was yesterday. But today

he was absolutely glowing.Good morning, gentlemen,: he greeted us

kindly while putting a key in his coat pocket. Perhapsyou are hungry?

Now that he mentioned it, I was starving. I had

not eaten since before the march here. But neither I norTibby said a word.

Ill have someone bring you each a meal, he

concluded.Thank you, I replied. Tibby followed with a dull

thank you.Dr. Ravage smiled, nodded, and backed up

before closing the door.

Tibby began clicking his tongue. Did he, uh, hepaused, lock the door?

I dont think so, I responded.

Tibby slowly waddled past me, picking up speedthe closer he got to the door. He anxiously reached for

the doorknob and flicked his wrist to the side, pullingback as the door swung open. He turned his head toflash me a sly grin.

Where are we going? I asked, following behindhim once he exited the room.To hide out until he comes back, he whispered

back. Then well head straight for his office.Why would we do that? I hissed. That was the

most ridiculous plan I had ever heard, though Icontinued to follow him down the hallway.

Its the only room with a window, hewhispered.

We stopped at a door half-way down the hall.Tibby pressed his ear against the door and listened for a

moment.Its quiet, he murmured. Good. He then

pulled a key out of his pocket and inserted it into thedoorknob.

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Whered you get that key? I asked him. Then Iheard a click and he turned the doorknob.

Where do you think? he replied. My mind

drifted back to the cabinet.The door opened and he slid the key back into

his pocket.

Go in, he said, gesturing with his hand. Ill beback for you later.

My eyes grew wide at his words. What? I triedto say, but his arm quickly swung around my back and

he shoved me inside. I turned around to stop him but he

shut the door and locked it.After fighting with the doorknob for a moment, I

was forced to acknowledge my own defeat. I sighed,

turned around, and examined the room. It was an exactreplica of the last room I was in.

Hello? I said dumbly, making sure there wereno doctors present. I began scanning the beds as I

walked by until something caught my eye. A figure was

visible through the curtain surrounding a bed at the farend of the wall.

Hello? I said again.

I reached for the curtain as I neared the bed andslowly pulled it aside. There was young woman lying

beneath the sheets, her tired eyes staring up at theceiling.

Hello? The word escaped my lips without my

permission, but I didnt know what else to say. Her darkeyes rolled in my direction, her pale face still.Are you alright? I asked her. Her mouth

opened slowly and she began to speak.If youve come to kill me, her raspy voice

caught me off guard, then do it already.I was taken aback by her words. Without

thinking, I put my hand over my heart.No, no. You dont understand. Im hiding, I

reasoned.Where is Dr. Ravage? She pleaded. Her fingers

twitched. Hell save me. The kind doctor with blueeyes. She searched for him, her head turning side to

side slowly as if it ached to do so.

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Oh, I dont know, I said honestly. Im verysorry though. She began to cough.

Are you alright? I kneeled by her bed and

rested my hands on the sheets.Her dry, dark hair was tangled and all color was

drained from her face. She appeared to be weak and

frail.Ill be alright, she said with a tired smile.

When they fix my blood malfunction, Ill be released.I breathed a sigh of relief. Something good was

coming out of this situation.

Theyre going to fix you? I asked, hopeful.Theyve been doing all kinds of things to me,

she said, And they say theyll fix me.

What? What have they done to you? I asked,my heart suddenly racing. She took a deep breath, her

eyes filled with emotions that ranged from desperationto sadness to fear. She closed them before speaking.

Theyve put me in ice water, theyve given me

injections of God knows what, theyve ran my bloodthrough strange machines that put the blood right backin my system, and Ive been stuck to this bed several

times while they perform surgeries on me. Ive beenawake for every operation, She ended matter-of-factly.

I stared at her in horror.What did they do? I asked, terrified to hear her

answer.

They cut me open. I dont understand why, theyjust did. I dont know what theyre observing, or whatthey insert into my system, and I especially dont know

how it helps, but they say its necessary. Her eyelidstwitched at the thought.

Who are they? I questioned.Her eyes opened once again, now wet, and she

stared into mine when she answered.The doctors.

How do you know youll be well again? I askedsympathetically.

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Dr. Ravage said when theyre done, she began,the corners of her mouth twitching until she formed a

smile, that Ill be sent to the system protection unit.

Theyll fix me, and Ill be free to go home to mydaughter, Kiara.

The system protection unit? She didnt know?

Then I heard the door open.Im back, Tibby said from across the room once he was

visible. Lets go.I shifted my gaze towards him, but still reached

for the womans hand. His eyes widened at the site, and

he began to approach me.Tibby, I said, hoping he could help, this

woman-

We need to leave, he interrupted. Now. Letsgo.

But, she needs help! I argued. You dont knowwhat theyve done to her!

Quiet! Do you want us to get caught? Leave

her. Tibby rushed towards me and grabbed my arm,pulling me up.

But theyre sending her to the system

protection unit, I said desperately, my voice gettinghigher.

Tibby stopped pulling me, looked me dead in theeyes, and reached in his pocket for something. I lookeddown to see him pull out the photo of Kirsten.

Where did you get that? I said accusingly.He squinted at me and nearly put the tip of hisnose to mine.

If you want to see your wife again, youve gotto leave that woman. I looked back at the photo, then

at the poor woman lying in the bed. I didnt understandwhy, but somehow I knew I had to leave her.

Whats your name? I asked. She gave me agenuine smile before replying.

Fiona.

Documents

Unit 683 Excerpt