Experiments [Paragon]

[Visha]

“Okay,” she agreed. Her gaze widened over the room into which he led her, though it was nothing she hadn’t seen before. His manner unnerved her, though. And she didn’t like the idea of laying on the table. Visha had seen enough procedural dramas to understand that this was not how hospitals worked, and while she understood that no one here was able to offer the comfort of holding her hand, she thought the dull steel shine of the table looked more like somewhere to cut up dead things than lay living breathing girls.

She wished she’d brought the bracelet. For courage maybe. But she was afraid that if it was discovered it would be taken away, and with it the memories would be stolen too. Instead she only did as she was told, though she was beginning to feel that worried fizzy feeling inside as her pulse ramped. Watching him ready the line made her eyes round in fear. She hated the needles, and she was trying so so hard to be good, but she knew at some point her body was going to betray her.

For a moment she swallowed it down, listening to the clinical sounds all around her. Instead she tried to think what dinner with Seven would have been like. But her thoughts were buzzing like there were angry wasps in her head. Nothing the doctor said sounded like he was talking to her, just to himself. He touched her arm, and even with the gloves that felt strange, but he was only looking at what he was doing.

“Doctor Müller -- I’m afraid,” she said quickly, desperate to be reassured. Only his smile looked like a grimace, and he smelled wrong. “Ephraim said I can trust you. Is this… will this hurt?”