Read Online Shadow Touch by Marjorie M. Liu - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Marjorie M. Liu
Ads: Link
Another electrode.
“You know.”
She thought he would say, Oh, what folly! What an imagination! Such things certainly do not exist ! Instead Rictor said, “No. He is not like us.”
“Oh, God.” Elena stared at him. “And there are more? Are there more prisoners in this place? And why the hell aren’t you locked up?”
He did not answer. Out of all the things that had happened to her—the kidnapping, waking up in a strange place only to be manhandled like a lab rat— this rattled her the most. It shook up her mind, her heart, her entire view of the world, because she had wondered, she had hoped, and now, finally, here was confirmation. She was not alone. There were others like her.
Once upon a rime, dreaming as a child dreams, she had wished for such a thing. Oh, how lovely it would be. Not a freak, not some lightning that struck only once and never again.
But she would rather be alone than find out like this.
Elena tried to speak, found her voice too weak. Tried again, whispering, “How? It doesn’t make sense. There can’t be so many. Regular people would notice, wouldn’t they? It would be in the news.”
“You managed to stay out of the news,” Rictor said. “Or so I hear.”
“That doesn’t mean—”
“There are six billion people in the world,” Rictor said, interrupting her. He still looked bored, still continued to glue electrodes to her head, but he was talking, and Elena was desperate for words. “If even half of one percent of the population exhibited some kind of unique wiring, that would be thirty million. Cut the percentages even steeper, and you’re still talking about a lot of people. Now be quiet .”
Elena did not want to shut up, but she heard someone at the door. It was the doctor. He held a cardboard box in his hands.
“Ah,” he said, when he saw Rictor gluing electrodes to Elena’s scalp. “I thought you would be done by now.” He studied the scratches on his neck. “Problems?”
“No,” Rictor said. He kept working.
The doctor studied Elena’s head. “A very nice look on you, my dear.”
She resisted the desire to tell him just how quickly he could go to hell. From the way Rictor’s hands tensed on her head, she thought that was a good idea.
The box rattled. Elena heard a whimper.
“I’m done.” Rictor stepped away from Elena and flipped a switch on the machine. After several seconds the monitor flickered to life, revealing a set of numbers, prompts.
“Hold out your hands,” said the doctor. Elena hesitated. She thought about what Rictor had told her. Do what the doctor tells you. Don’t push him too far .
She remembered the screaming man, the pure animal sound of his voice.
Elena held out her hands. The doctor looked at Rictor, who reached past her to take the box. The old man flipped open its flimsy lid. Elena smelled blood.
“No,” she breathed when he pulled out the body. She thought it might be a puppy, a little beagle, but it was difficult to tell because of its injuries, the blood covering its broken body. A small paw moved; closed eyes twitched beneath the lids.
“I like to start small,” the doctor said. “To set certain parameters. Think of this as a flashlight blinking in your eyes.”
He placed the dying animal in her hands. Horrified, Elena grappled with the puppy, trying to hold it in a way that would not cause more pain. Blood smeared against her legs, dripping on the white floor. Now she knew why there was a drain. The doctor smiled. Rictor looked bored.
“I can’t,” she whispered. “I—”
“The injuries are very recent and quite severe,” interrupted the doctor. “He is going into shock. If you wait much longer he will die, and then I will be forced to do this experiment again, on a different animal. Are you really that heartless, my dear?”
Yes, I really am that heartless . Because if she saved this puppy, she had no doubts as to the doctor’s willingness to harm it again for another kind of test. That
“You know.”
She thought he would say, Oh, what folly! What an imagination! Such things certainly do not exist ! Instead Rictor said, “No. He is not like us.”
“Oh, God.” Elena stared at him. “And there are more? Are there more prisoners in this place? And why the hell aren’t you locked up?”
He did not answer. Out of all the things that had happened to her—the kidnapping, waking up in a strange place only to be manhandled like a lab rat— this rattled her the most. It shook up her mind, her heart, her entire view of the world, because she had wondered, she had hoped, and now, finally, here was confirmation. She was not alone. There were others like her.
Once upon a rime, dreaming as a child dreams, she had wished for such a thing. Oh, how lovely it would be. Not a freak, not some lightning that struck only once and never again.
But she would rather be alone than find out like this.
Elena tried to speak, found her voice too weak. Tried again, whispering, “How? It doesn’t make sense. There can’t be so many. Regular people would notice, wouldn’t they? It would be in the news.”
“You managed to stay out of the news,” Rictor said. “Or so I hear.”
“That doesn’t mean—”
“There are six billion people in the world,” Rictor said, interrupting her. He still looked bored, still continued to glue electrodes to her head, but he was talking, and Elena was desperate for words. “If even half of one percent of the population exhibited some kind of unique wiring, that would be thirty million. Cut the percentages even steeper, and you’re still talking about a lot of people. Now be quiet .”
Elena did not want to shut up, but she heard someone at the door. It was the doctor. He held a cardboard box in his hands.
“Ah,” he said, when he saw Rictor gluing electrodes to Elena’s scalp. “I thought you would be done by now.” He studied the scratches on his neck. “Problems?”
“No,” Rictor said. He kept working.
The doctor studied Elena’s head. “A very nice look on you, my dear.”
She resisted the desire to tell him just how quickly he could go to hell. From the way Rictor’s hands tensed on her head, she thought that was a good idea.
The box rattled. Elena heard a whimper.
“I’m done.” Rictor stepped away from Elena and flipped a switch on the machine. After several seconds the monitor flickered to life, revealing a set of numbers, prompts.
“Hold out your hands,” said the doctor. Elena hesitated. She thought about what Rictor had told her. Do what the doctor tells you. Don’t push him too far .
She remembered the screaming man, the pure animal sound of his voice.
Elena held out her hands. The doctor looked at Rictor, who reached past her to take the box. The old man flipped open its flimsy lid. Elena smelled blood.
“No,” she breathed when he pulled out the body. She thought it might be a puppy, a little beagle, but it was difficult to tell because of its injuries, the blood covering its broken body. A small paw moved; closed eyes twitched beneath the lids.
“I like to start small,” the doctor said. “To set certain parameters. Think of this as a flashlight blinking in your eyes.”
He placed the dying animal in her hands. Horrified, Elena grappled with the puppy, trying to hold it in a way that would not cause more pain. Blood smeared against her legs, dripping on the white floor. Now she knew why there was a drain. The doctor smiled. Rictor looked bored.
“I can’t,” she whispered. “I—”
“The injuries are very recent and quite severe,” interrupted the doctor. “He is going into shock. If you wait much longer he will die, and then I will be forced to do this experiment again, on a different animal. Are you really that heartless, my dear?”
Yes, I really am that heartless . Because if she saved this puppy, she had no doubts as to the doctor’s willingness to harm it again for another kind of test. That
Similar Books
