Chapter 2 I pushed the hair from my face, unable to remove the wide eyed wonder as I watched them, as astonished as an eight year old may be upon finding a new pony waiting for her on her birthday. Outside devastation reigned yet here in the midst of it all lay order…people governed to perfection so not a single one failed to do the duty ordered upon him….I yearned for it too, this order, my need to have purpose, I had known it was in my genes all along hence the reason I had chosen the scientific field where answers could be sought, complications corrected. I turned my head again upon seeing a larger crowd, glimpsed it from the corner of my eye and that’s when I first saw him, the Governor, former CEO of the corporation now ruling what little remained of civilization. It was at his hand that so many had died…so many lives torn apart at a single word from his lips. He reeked of power, as if it came from his every pore, those surrounding him subjugated in their mannerisms, willing to do anything he asked of them. I shivered then, not in fear of this man but in awe of the absolute control he held. As if sensing my presence, my gaze as I watched him he turned his head….saying a few brief words before he strode toward the van. Inside I shrank back from his approach…eager, though I didn’t know him to be pleasing, desperate for him to notice me. The guards who had escorted us here stood to attention as he reached the van, I turned my head as did the others…curious as to what was happening. “Decontaminate them now, you have already put us at too much risk” His voice was commanding yet smooth, the voice many cult leaders possessed, one able to at a single word order thousands to take their own lives. He turned then as if to leave then paused, glancing back at the men. “And bring Aylin to me once you are done, I wish to speak with her” I blinked as he walked away, hands swinging casually at his sides, me…he had spoken my name but why and how did he know who I was. These thoughts along with many others raced through my mind as the van began to move again….the others remained hushed, all staring forward as we rolled up in front of two large doors, they were made of steel and glistened in the light, a keypad sat to one side, a large panel beside it suggesting you needed more than simply a code to access this area….the doors swung open for us then and we glided inside…the room was huge, shining metal and plastics predominant here, men wandered about sporting crisp white decontamination suits, their breaths misting the air as they breathed through the filters of their masks. Crying could be heard too though this was soon interrupted by the sound of a gunshot, breaking the silence for that moment….I shivered then, not in fear of the gunshot but for myself. Someone had failed this test and had been executed. I don’t know how I knew this but I did, I looked to the front in time to see the doors slide open for the first time we had entered this van….the guards awaited us, rifles at the ready. “OUT!” A voice boomed then and at once we all stood, walking slowly toward the exit. “And do not run, this would be very unwise” He continued, his eyes met mine for the briefest of moments, in that time I saw the eyes of someone who would take any life he was told to, eyes hardened by experience and I wondered if one day I would look in the mirror and see eyes just like that staring back at me. Time ticked by so slowly, though I was sure only a few minutes had passed it seemed as if it had been over an hour, an hour since they had lined us up. Stripped as we stood their, not only of our clothing but more, so much more that this. The door to the decontamination unit opened with the whoosh of air, ten solemn faces stared at us….they had grown old during their short stay here, not biologically but mentally old, worn down they would soon harden for weakness would not be tolerated here, compliancy would be the only option. “Move! Move it!” The voice screamed, it came from on of those donning the hazmat suit. His voice harsh, rushed as was the movements of those within, they had passed this test but unbeknown to all of us there would be many more. “What is this? What is the reason for this?” I asked, finally speaking for the first time since the intrusion to my apartment. An event which now seemed it had happened perhaps weeks ago rather than….I could not remember but it had been hours for the sky had lightened indicating this. My voice sounded odd to me, muffled due to the compressed air which filled the room, air which was filled with the scent of disinfectant, blood was also obvious to me, this and the more subtle smell of fear. A cruel smirk moved to the lips of him whose eyes I had glimpsed and he turned his head to face me. “We do not wish to become infected” He nearly snarled those words, spittle formed upon his lips, further indicating his anger, his pure hatred toward these who he spoke of. “All risk must be eliminated, the future of this colony is at stake if we do not take all precaution to prevent this” He said, then paused…his watery eyes lingered upon my form, moved lower and I had the urge to wrap my arms about myself. For I felt vulnerable then, a hot flush ran to my face as I remembered what it is I wore, forgotten until now I glanced down to see the transparent fabric of my gown, clinging now to my thighs, sweat had dampened it as it had my hair. Usually lush it hung limp at the sides of my face, tangled, small curls draped across my eyes and I swiped these away in anger, it filled me that this man should watch me in such a way but there was little that I could do at this moment..feared antagonizing him. “I understand this” I finally replied, my voice meek, head bowed…as I subjugated myself before him. Inside my anger rose but I am a scientist, have studied many things, psychology amongst them, I understood the human mind, had learned to control my own because of this. Could read the secret language of the body and react accordingly when required. He smiled then, was in his mind satisfied he’d receive no further resistance from me and I smiled though kept this hidden with the lowering of my face. A smile which soon slipped upon hearing his next words. “Strip…..strip and remove all items from your possession, do not make any moves which may be seen as hostile. Do not attempt to run. Do not attempt to hide anything from us for we will discover it and there will be consequences.” He said, his voice firm but calm and I only hesitated for that moment before beginning to remove that which I wore. It was little and I slid the gown over my head. Shivered as it floated to the ground, my body exposed to the frigid air, to the eyes of those surrounding me. I panted too, fear taking hold for this was the moment where my future would be decided for me. The moment when I would know if I would be allowed to live. I hooked my thumbs inside the edge of my panties and slowly drew them down, only standing upright when they had reached my ankles. I stepped out of them, used my foot to nudge them toward the now discarded gown. Only then did I lift my head, not to observe that which happened around me but to show that they could strip me yes but they would never strip me of my pride.
Posted on: Sun, 22 Sep 2013 14:37:17 +0000
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