Psychopomp SSI facilities, YE 33, One Week Later, Post-Surgery
In the bunk room, the many 11 year olds groaned in pain. After their surgeries there had been no breaks, but only a swift return to training.
While most of the children were asleep, two stirred in the pseudo nighttime.
Alex was unable to sleep, rolling over on his side in the stiff cot he was assigned.
He moaned softly before speaking in a similarly soft tone.
"Why do they do this to us?..."
A figure in the dark, two bunks away from Alex's stirred as well, the pain from the surgery and training still fresh upon her body as she wearily turned to face the voice, her own cracking a bit from the amount of screaming she had done before.
".... Why do you always ask ..?" Her voice somehow managing to travel across to where Alex lay.
She would retort, her hands attempting to push herself upright and off the bed. They didn't care if they weren't sleeping; only that they worked for the next time. She could feel every muscle aching as her body struggled to adapt to the intrusive and physically harrowing surgery of having entire parts of your body replaced with cybernetics and machinery. All for the sake of advancing in our fields, she recalled one of them say. She didn't know who .. she just remembered the voice.
"Because I don't understand." Alex said. "What do we have that's so important?"
Eventually she managed to push herself up, enough so that she could sit on the semi-hard mattress that was her bunk. She didn't know who was speaking to her, nor did she care anymore to keep track .. all the faces were a blur at this point.
"... We're alone. We're small and easy to handle. We'll get older and become good 'assets'. I heard them say that today," A hand came up to set aside some stray strands of raven-black hair, the dry bunched up bundle as they left her fingers showing how decrepit their conditions were.
"Who are you ..?" She would ask, not sure if she would remember the next day.
"My name is Alex. What's yours?"
She had to wrack her brain for a few seconds to remember, then realized she didn't have one. Her official designation was 'Test Subject Number 3, Batch A.H.'.
"Test Subject Number Three," Her eyes wandered over towards the source of the voice, the most comforting thing that wasn't a kick to the face.
"They gave you a name?" She would ask, a little surprise in her voice.
"My mom and dad gave me a name. Before they took me away from them. But don't mind me, test subject number three isn't any good as a name. I'll call you... Nomine."
"...?" She would cock her head to the side, as if pondering whether or not to accept something that wasn't simply 'Test Subject Number Three'. "Noh-mee-ne ..?" She sounded it out, to herself mostly. This continued for a second or two before she seemed satisfied, nodding.
"Nomine. I don't know how to write that .. but I think I'm saying it right," Nomine would say, her eyes closing as she slid her legs off the bed and let them hang just over. She was sharing this bunk with someone else, but right now she didn't think he or she would care. They were probably in as much pain as she was and any moment of respite was something to be cherished.
"Thank you, Alex."
Alex sat up as well. "No. Thank you."
"For what?" She would ask, confused.
"I'm not alone anymore. Because of you, I'm not alone. Nomine."
"That's .." Her voice cracked a little at being called something else, a little humanity and kindness given to one that experienced and knew nothing but intense suffering and pain. She felt warm tears sneak out the sides of her eyes and crawl down her cheeks.
"Thank you, Alex."
Alex smiled up at Nomine. The middle of his chest feeling warm. He hadn't felt like this since before psychology had taken him away.
"I think..." Alex yawned. "I'm falling aslee..."
Alex's head hit the pillow with a soft thump, his face innocent.
Yes, Nomine thought to herself. This was a difference she wasn't unhappy about, it was enough of a change that some of the pain had become more bearable, less so than the beating of her heart that she now felt again.
She laid back down on the bed and closed her eyes, falling asleep near instantaneously as the exhaustion once again caught up to her. It would be the first time Test Subject Number Three had a good night's rest and hopefully .. it wouldn't be the last.
In the bunk room, the many 11 year olds groaned in pain. After their surgeries there had been no breaks, but only a swift return to training.
While most of the children were asleep, two stirred in the pseudo nighttime.
Alex was unable to sleep, rolling over on his side in the stiff cot he was assigned.
He moaned softly before speaking in a similarly soft tone.
"Why do they do this to us?..."
A figure in the dark, two bunks away from Alex's stirred as well, the pain from the surgery and training still fresh upon her body as she wearily turned to face the voice, her own cracking a bit from the amount of screaming she had done before.
".... Why do you always ask ..?" Her voice somehow managing to travel across to where Alex lay.
She would retort, her hands attempting to push herself upright and off the bed. They didn't care if they weren't sleeping; only that they worked for the next time. She could feel every muscle aching as her body struggled to adapt to the intrusive and physically harrowing surgery of having entire parts of your body replaced with cybernetics and machinery. All for the sake of advancing in our fields, she recalled one of them say. She didn't know who .. she just remembered the voice.
"Because I don't understand." Alex said. "What do we have that's so important?"
Eventually she managed to push herself up, enough so that she could sit on the semi-hard mattress that was her bunk. She didn't know who was speaking to her, nor did she care anymore to keep track .. all the faces were a blur at this point.
"... We're alone. We're small and easy to handle. We'll get older and become good 'assets'. I heard them say that today," A hand came up to set aside some stray strands of raven-black hair, the dry bunched up bundle as they left her fingers showing how decrepit their conditions were.
"Who are you ..?" She would ask, not sure if she would remember the next day.
"My name is Alex. What's yours?"
She had to wrack her brain for a few seconds to remember, then realized she didn't have one. Her official designation was 'Test Subject Number 3, Batch A.H.'.
"Test Subject Number Three," Her eyes wandered over towards the source of the voice, the most comforting thing that wasn't a kick to the face.
"They gave you a name?" She would ask, a little surprise in her voice.
"My mom and dad gave me a name. Before they took me away from them. But don't mind me, test subject number three isn't any good as a name. I'll call you... Nomine."
"...?" She would cock her head to the side, as if pondering whether or not to accept something that wasn't simply 'Test Subject Number Three'. "Noh-mee-ne ..?" She sounded it out, to herself mostly. This continued for a second or two before she seemed satisfied, nodding.
"Nomine. I don't know how to write that .. but I think I'm saying it right," Nomine would say, her eyes closing as she slid her legs off the bed and let them hang just over. She was sharing this bunk with someone else, but right now she didn't think he or she would care. They were probably in as much pain as she was and any moment of respite was something to be cherished.
"Thank you, Alex."
Alex sat up as well. "No. Thank you."
"For what?" She would ask, confused.
"I'm not alone anymore. Because of you, I'm not alone. Nomine."
"That's .." Her voice cracked a little at being called something else, a little humanity and kindness given to one that experienced and knew nothing but intense suffering and pain. She felt warm tears sneak out the sides of her eyes and crawl down her cheeks.
"Thank you, Alex."
Alex smiled up at Nomine. The middle of his chest feeling warm. He hadn't felt like this since before psychology had taken him away.
"I think..." Alex yawned. "I'm falling aslee..."
Alex's head hit the pillow with a soft thump, his face innocent.
Yes, Nomine thought to herself. This was a difference she wasn't unhappy about, it was enough of a change that some of the pain had become more bearable, less so than the beating of her heart that she now felt again.
She laid back down on the bed and closed her eyes, falling asleep near instantaneously as the exhaustion once again caught up to her. It would be the first time Test Subject Number Three had a good night's rest and hopefully .. it wouldn't be the last.
