The lab was nothing like Sofia had expected. Although she was terrified and alone here. In a place where she would never see her mother again it wasn’t the worst place she’d ever been. Far from it actually. It was clean and bright, industrial, but somehow it gave off a sense of order, calm, peace.

She was shaved bald and wires were attached to her head and wired into the mask. Sensors were attached over her body. The robots worked with an efficiency that was astonishing. Clinical. After the initial bout of fear she began to relax as she remained unharmed.

All in all it took less then half an hour before she was released from whatever prison held her body unmoving and told to step through the door opposite the docking platform by an electronic uncaring voice.

Sophia walked through the door with hesitant steps. Her mind a whirlwind of activity. Even though she didn’t feel as anxious now that she could move and that she wasn’t hurt. The site of the lab that lay before her was both magnificent and terrifying. Clean. Industrial. Filled with machines that made odd noises or moved in odd ways. Displays of glowing holograms and much more sophisticated technology then she was used to was everywhere. Large chambers where people slept in specialized solutions tucked into every available space in the hallway she walked. Most were not human in appearance.

“Welcome to The Lab Sophia,” A gentle male voice said startling her from her wide eyed wonder. She turned to look at the male who stood not three feet away. His hands folded before him. He wore a white coat over a simple white tunic much like her own. His identity bade clearly marking him as upper level staff. His pale skin mostly hidden behind a white mask. His green eyes and white blond hair both easily visible. His hair was longer then she’d expected for a male, tied back behind his head, but otherwise left to fall loose. He was tall, muscular and even the mask couldn’t deter from his handsomeness. He had a chilled jaw, high cheekbones and a broad forehead with thick eyebrows and deep set eyes. She was stunned that he looked so normal, yet oddly reassured by it. That and the lack of upper-tier fashion went a long way in calming her nerves.

She’d seen a lot of staff as she’d walked down this hallway. Staff tending to the tanks. The machines. The tech. But none that had looked quite as human as he did. Or as gorgeous.

“Why am I here?” She finally had the courage to ask after looking at him for a few minutes.

“You are here to begin your new life, you are special Sophia. And now you are old enough to become a member of the elite unit.” He answered. He smiled at her, but his smile just felt off to her. It didn’t look right. She had no idea what to say to that. How could he know. “I’ve known you before you were born Sophia, I engineered you,” he said. And she gaped at him. No that couldn’t be. He nodded.

“Your mother and father worked here up until fifteen years ago, when your father tried to sneak you off-world and was arrested for steeling government property. It is your destiny to become a weapon unlike any other Sophia,” He went on.

He indicated the wall before him and it opened he started walking. Curious she followed him, because where else could she go now? Might as well learn what she could.

“Soon your training will begin, but for tonight we need to check your baseline readings. You’ll be put to sleep in a tank for observation. Don’t worry you won’t feel a thing. It’ll be the most restful sleep you’ve had.” He added before leading her to an open bed. She didn’t want to be in a tank. But looking at the guards and with no other choice she reluctantly complied.

------

Sophia woke slowly to the dawning city light through the glass of her pod. It was odd to feel the light through the murky liquid around her. To be able to breathe without struggling. Sophia wanted to scream. To struggle. But something being fed to her by one of the tubes was keeping her calm and tranquil.

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The man from the day before, who’s name she STILL didn’t know, was standing there at the glass moments later. He smiled at her, his face distorted through the murky liquid. His hands fiddled with the controls she knew where to the side of her tube and the chamber slid out. Letting her take a breath without the murky fluid. The calm vanished and she felt vaguely dull. Floaty. But oddly refreshed and alert.

“Good morning Sophia,” the man said.

“What’s your name?” Sophia demanded without returning the polite greeting.

“I am called Amon here,” the man answered.

Sophia sighed knowing that Amon wasn’t the man’s real name, but that it was the only one she would get. He watched her for a long moment holding the blue mask from yesterday out to her.

Her hand closed around it before he spoke. “You have free reign of the main floor of The Lab, as long as you wear this at all times outside this room you’ll be fine. This is your room.” He indicated the small circular space that contained barely enough room for them to stand amongst the bank of equipment and the pod.

“What’ll happen if I don’t wear this thing?” She asked curiously.

“The gas that’s continuously pumped into the main lab will knock you out and make you horribly sick for fourteen days,” he said, “Trust me it’s not as fun as it sounds.”

Oh she believed that.

Sophia watched Amon walk away after delivering those words. Yah so that was great. She either had to wear a mask or be gassed. Fun times.

With a sigh and wondering what the hell she was suppose to do now she left the room, after slipping on the mask. As she walked through the halls and rooms, she discovered that even though there were crowds of people she heard nothing but silence in her mind. So the mask blocked her gift. Or her curse whichever you desired to call it. She could have laughed at the sudden freedom from the constant thunder in her head. Only it really wasn’t funny.

It was terrifying. Terrifying to realize that they knew her inner most secret to the extent that they even had tech to block it. And what had Amon meant when he’d told her she’d been engineered? So many questions. So few answers.

It took five days before anyone came to get Sophia again. Each day she explored more of The Lab. Each day she discovered a new room, filled with people like her who seemed to wander around aimlessly. Each time she tried to engage with anyone they just kept doing whatever it was they were doing as if they couldn’t perceive her. She wondered why that was.

She found no answers. By the fifth day she was frustrated and felt like this place was in fact a prison. One meant to torture her with boredom and loneliness. That was until Amon showed up at her pod’s door.

“It’s time for your first lesson,” He informed her.

She wanted to bombard him with questions. So many spun in her head. But she didn’t know where to start. After a long moment of silence she finally asked.

“Why does no one respond when I talk to them?”

As Sophia had predicted Amon didn’t respond. He just looked at her wordlessly. She ground her teeth and crossed her arms in anger.

“Answer me,” She demanded her words coming out braver then she felt. Her heart pounding against her ribs as she wondered if she’d just made a terrible mistake.

“You will learn soon enough,” Amon replied evenly and continued on before she could tell him that his answer was utter bullshit! “If you remain here you will be put back in the pod, only this time they won’t deem you ready for training and I cannot guarantee when you’ll wake again,” There was something in his voice that almost begged Sophia to cooperate with him. She looked into his face even covered by the white mask he wore she could see the vibrant green eyes pleading with her.

She nodded and he led her past the doors that had refused to open for her all week.

The room she found herself in was simple, elegant and full of equipment. A single seat was set in the centre with spirals of equipment and at the far side she could see the controls to whatever this room did.

“You’ll need to sit in the chair,” Amon instructed and Sophia did. Sitting down in the comfortably padded chair. Letting her arms rest on the arm rest as the chair whirred to life and Amon stepped away to the control side of the room. Her head turned to follow Amon with her eyes. Even as she was lifted up and tipped back into a reclined position as straps encircled her limbs and waist before tilting her into a complete standing position about two feet off the ground.

Strangely she didn’t feel afraid as a large dome lowered down over her, sending her into darkness as it descended over her head cutting off her view of Amon.