Countd0wn

Chapter 18: The Truth Comes Out

I looked at my face in the reflective metal surface of the walls in awe and confusion as I kept stroking the now soft and smooth part of my face where the scar used to be. I couldn't even feel the lingering pain that had come with it when I had first gotten it. Whatever they had done, it was much more advanced than any medical technique.

I sat back against my bed, and finally tried to process everything that had happened. I had found out that there were not only more people like me, but they were being used as puppets for some sort of government organization, Ivy didn't even know if I was alive or not, and Gerrard could invade my thoughts at any moment and torture me however he wanted. I looked up and clenched my fists. I wasn't going to lie back and take this any longer. I wanted answers. Now.

A few minutes later (I had finally learned to be able to count) the door opened, and the usual guards and blindfold greeted me. They walked me down the hall and took me to the interrogation room once again. It must have been Mossberg's off day, because it took her a minute or two to arrive at the table. 

She smiled as she sat down and greeted me. She adjusted her glasses as she put her clipboard in front of her. "Hello, Wren. I'm glad you're feeling better. The first test is always hard on new subjects. I'm just glad you were compatible with our revitalization room. It's not always such a fine fit with our other candidates."

I looked at her, staring her down, trying my best to keep repeating that nursery rhyme in my head, and keeping my face neutral. "You want me to be cooperative? I can do that. But you need to do something for me in return."

Mossberg looked at me, narrowing her eyes slightly, then did the thing where she cocked her head slightly, as if listening for something, then a slightly confused look crossed her face for a brief moment, and as quickly as it appeared, it went away.

She then turned her attention back to me, then gave me a small, polite smile. "Good, Wren. I'm glad to see we're making progress. Here, I'll tell you what. Why don't we do this as a bit of quid pro quo? I answer a question you ask, then you answer one I ask? And please, answer honestly, otherwise this entire interview will be over."

I could tell by the slight tone in her voice that she didn't just mean that the interview would be over, the whole going easy on me part would be as well. I guessed they must have read that I needed information in my mind, which is what I exactly wanted to happen. So, I decided to play along, and I nodded.

Mossberg smiled, and apparently decided to start the question asking herself. How noble of her. "So, Wren, on one of the nights that you've been here, we gave you a small dose of tranquilizers to put you to sleep, so we could monitor your brainwave functions, along with...well, reading your subconscious. And while we did, we noticed a few things. So, my question is this: who is Gerrard?"

My mind automatically cringed at the mention of his name. Mossberg could obviously detect this, and she smiled. I tried to clear my thoughts, and I answered as honestly as I could. "I...don't really know. He's like me, and he's inside my mind...I don't know what he wants with me...but...he scares me."

Mossberg stared at me, then wrote a few things down in her notes. I let out a silent sigh of relief, and tried to relax my muscles, sitting as loosely as I could in the chair so she didn't suspect anything. She turned back to me. "Thank you Wren. Now it's your turn."

I leaned forwards, and tried to select my next words carefully. I had so many questions in my mind, and I wanted to ask all of them at once, but I also didn't want to do something that would end this interview. So, I picked one that seemed the most important. "I've seen a word on the wall. Reservoir. Is that who you people are?"