Chapter 5: Rinse and Repeat

I groaned lightly as the chilly air dancing against my skin. I’m gonna skin the guy who turned the AC on to max power. A familiar tug of cables pulled on my limbs and skull as I tried to move.

The drugs I had in my system were working perfectly, I noted dryly. The haze creeping along my relaxed muscles bore a nostalgic sense. This is how I always wake up.

The heavy white backdrop pressed against my eyelids as if daring me to open my eyes. My request with Dr. Melman to turn them off after he’s done seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

I slowly pulled the thin wires off from the machines. A stab of pain registered on my skin, but I endured. It’s not my pay they’ll be cutting for this. Not that I’m getting paid in the first place.

Following the same procedure for the other hand, I freed it from the mechanical clutches of the instruments. Heavy metal objects clanged against the marble floor with a loud echo. I groaned slightly as my ears rang from the loud noise.

On the subject of noise, the instruments were suspiciously silent at the time. I mean other than the sound of them crashing on the floor.

I peeked through to the brightly lit ceiling. The 8-LED studded examination lamp bored down on my tender eyes. In my delirium, I propped myself to a seating position. Glaring down on my body, I could see the thin piece of fabric the medical maniacs liked to call a ‘towel’ hugging my body.

The thin cloth barely covered my modesty and I grimaced at the distasteful thoughts. My hands pressed down against the leathery mattress that squeaked shrilly with the friction.

I winced lightly. With a slight shift against the green leather, my feet touched the ground. My toes curled as they splayed across the cold tiling.

Looking forward, I spotted the see-through mirror mounted in the side wall. My reflection looked back at me with a blank face.

The shiny scalp topping my skull filled me with unabashed rage. How many times should I tell the bastards to not shave my hair. My head spun with rage and disorientation.

I stood up with a strong push. However, my knees had other ideas as they buckled like spaghetti under the pressure, sending me toppling over the metallic stand by the bedside.

I grabbed the lamp’s support bar tightly to stop myself from falling flat on the ground.

The metal groaned against my grip, but I finally managed to right myself. The bar bent swayed slightly as I let go. The towel under my arms threatened to loosen between my struggle. I didn’t really mind. The doctors had seen me naked already.

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It was only for my mental sake that I pushed the flimsy fabric into tighter folds against my chest. I took a staggering step toward the door. Any second now, the door would open, and tranquilizer darts would be sent flying my way.

I looked to my side to find the operating tools and the electronic devices lay in an heaped pile, some on the metallic table while others on the floor. The drugs in my system made it seem like the room consisted of a bend running through the middle of it. I snorted derisively.

I wouldn’t put it past the maniacs to actually do something like that just to mess with us. The door pushed open with a resounding screech. I braced myself for the needles to stab my skin. But none came.

I turned towards the door to find a brawny man standing at the entrance. Relief flitted across his face as the blue eyes rounded on me. “She’s here.” He yelled to his back.

“Codex.” His name. Literally means boulder in Latin. The maniacs also had a sick sense of naming us.

“Mira.” The man called out with a wide smile. I trudged towards him slowly. He walked back out giving me the necessary space to exit the hellhole.

I walked out of the room into an equally well-lit hallway. This was new. I had never been allowed to go out this much. My gaze landed on two other members standing near the door.

A tall lanky man with black hair follicles covering his scalp stood with an annoyed smirk. “Took you long enough.” He remarked. “Oz.” As I said, they had a sick sense of naming us.

The girl standing to his left eyed me with a bright smile. Her short nose flared at the sight of me, and I noticed her glance all across my body.

“Hey sis. Missed me?” I snorted at her suggestion. “Right.” Tia. I wasn’t told the origin of her name. It’s probably something heinous so I never asked. Same goes for my name.

Shaking my head, I turned towards Codex. “What is going on?”

The man hardened hearing my question. “We don’t know. The effect of the drugs and tranquilizers seems to be running out. This has never happened before.” He gazed at me with expectant eyes.

Oz clicked his tongue. “Idiot. If this had happened before, wouldn’t we have escaped.” He started haughtily. Codex narrowed his eyes at the man. “I still think this is a trap.”

I nodded in agreement with Codex. “Wouldn’t put it past the crazy people to try and test us with some pathetic test. I seriously wouldn’t be surprised if some of the failures attacked us right now.” The words made everyone in the room still with seriousness.

The long corridor buzzed with the sound of excess bulbs. I looked at everyone. “It seems that no one really knows what’s going on.” I sighed. Damn it, the shining scalps around me really pissed me off. They reminded me of my own state.

Shaking my head, I swallowed the overflowing anger. I turned to the steel door at the end of the hallway. It blinked with red light indicating that the doors were locked.

“How about this.” I muttered with a smirk. Codex’s eyes narrowed on me. I walked over to the anodized grey door all the while flashing the camera sitting in the top corner, a bright smile.

Stopping in front of the metal, I placed my fist against the cold frame. I cocked my elbow to a full arch before landing a thundering punch against the door frame.

The metal caved around the impact before the door flung off the hinges with a booming crash. A large circular chamber with three different doors leading out of it was revealed past it. Codex and the others followed after me with heavy steps.

A heinous alarm blared through the facility casting the pristine white walls in flashes of red. I winced at the reverberating cacophony. Tia walked up to me with a cheering smile on her face.

“That’s great. Now what next.” She asked.

I turned towards the other doors with an equally feral smile. “Rinse and Repeat.”