Jennifer's mind awoke, though her eyes did not open. She was flat on her back, on something soft and comforting. She saw light through her closed eyes and rebelled against it, screwing her lids shut to block it. Her head was pounding with pain, something that seemed so foreign. She knew it was known as a headache, but she had never really experienced one so intense. Her stomach clenched with nausea as her senses returned.
She heard movement next to her. She opened her eyes slowly, assaulted by the light. Tobias sat in a chair next to the bed, observing her. Jennifer tried to sit up, embarrassed that her new commander would find her in such a condition. Before she could make it all the way upright, Tobias had a hand n the cadet's shoulder, forcing her gently back on the bed.
"Easy, soldier," Tobias said. "Don't go blowing out a gasket."
Jennifer inhaled sharply, trying to quell the nausea swimming in her stomach. She put her forearm across her eyes. "What happened?"
Tobias sighed. "Just a wild guess, but I'd say you're claustrophobic."
The term was shocking and distasteful. "Impossible."
"Why?"
"Youth cadets don't suffer such inadequacies," she said defiantly.
"Well," Tobias said, "I hate to disappoint you, but there are certain things that genetic engineering cannot prevent. The prospect of being crushed at any moment by tons of rock and dirt can be heady."
A new, violent wave of nausea punched at Jennifer's insides at Tobias's fact. She panicked as bile crept up her throat. There was no way she could contain it. She tried to scramble away from Tobias to expel what was coming into the washbasin, but Tobias had a bedpan at the ready, guiding the young woman to it at the side of the bed. Jennifer was left with no choice but to accept the help. Her stomach contracted violently as the water she had consumed earlier rushed forth.
The episode seemed to last forever. When the attack finally subsided, Jennifer laid back on the bed, panting and perspiring in a manner most unbecoming a cadet about to graduate. Again, she closed her eyes, but this time it was more out of embarrassment than the headache.
She heard Tobias place the bedpan on the floor. "Feel better?"
Jennifer sensed a challenge in the question. "If you'll grant me a few minutes, I'll change and report to the lab."
"That's not what I asked, cadet," Tobias said, though her tone was not as terse as it had been the first time she had made that statement.
Jennifer considered what answer to give. No matter what she said, nothing could make up for the display of weakness she had just given.
"Some," she said finally, and it was true. Her stomach was not so painful. She involuntarily shivered as the cool air from the ventilation system rained down on her now wet skin. She knew Tobias saw it.
"Then it's good to know you're still human," she said. There was a soft snapping sound as Tobias fluffed out a blanket at the end of the bed and spread it over the cadet. "No one comes to work here without going through claustrophobia to some degree. Some get it worse than others."
The blanket was comforting. Jennifer wanted to immerse herself in its warmth until her brain skidded to a halt. It was a test! It had to be. Tobias was testing her, or perhaps Lord Dread, himself, was observing to test her response to the situation.
Jennifer sat up again, or at least she tried to sit. Again, Tobias urged her back to the bed.
"Don't make me restrain you, cadet," Tobias admonished.
"I have to fulfill my assignment," Jennifer argued, trying unsuccessfully to escape the doctor's control.
"Your new assignment is to rest until tomorrow morning," Tobias countered. She pulled out a dermal injector and placed it on Jennifer's wrist. The contents in the vial disappeared in a quiet whooshing sound as the liquid was absorbed into the young woman's body.
Almost immediately, Jennifer felt the dizzying effects of the medication. Her body began to relax. The nausea she felt began dissipating. Her entire body felt blissfully good and calm. She had no desire to fight Tobias.
"Say goodnight, child."
Jennifer never got the chance as the medication took complete hold of her and did not let go. Darkness slid over and enveloped her in pleasurable warmth.
The next morning appeared in quiet fashion. The only light in the room came from a small lamp in the corner that had been dimmed to the lowest setting. Jennifer still felt drugged. She knew she should have been eager to get out of bed and try to repair her mistakes from the previous day, but she could not muster the resolve. In fact, she felt like she could go back to sleep for eons. However, her training was stronger than the weak human desires of her body. She sat up, grabbing on to the edge of the bed as the room spun nearly out of control. Once she was sure she could, she stood up and made her way to the lavatory area. She turned on the light and immediately regretted the result. The bright white light hit her in a way that felt physical and painful. She turned down the intensity of the illumination to a level that did not stab at her so harshly.
The shower unit was unique. It used water, not the sonic methods employed at Volcania. Cadets had been trained in the use of water units, as there were some bases that still housed them. She had never actually been in one, but the lesson came back to her with clarity. The temperature control consisted of a mix of hot and cold water. There was soap and other cleansing items on the shelf inside the unit. Towels lay neatly folded on a rack on the wall. She undressed and stepped under the stream of water. The sensation was wonderful. She had never felt such an odd yet comforting feeling. Jennifer stood there, reveling in the experience. Taut muscles seemed to loosen as steam billowed around her. She took this form of relaxation as one of the rewards for all her dedication to Lord Dread and his vision.
When she exited the lavatory, she was chagrined to see the basin Tobias had used the night before tucked neatly under the bed. She closed her eyes to think of what the doctor had seen and done for her. The basin was empty, which meant someone had to clean it. She doubted Tobias would have had a mech do it. She was learning it was not the doctor's style to have someone or something do task for her. Jennifer's only comfort was that what had been expelled was water and not a portion of a meal.
She dressed quickly. Her hair had already begun to dry as she pulled it back and secured it to specification. She selected a clean uniform and began to dress. She called for the computer to display a schematic of Alaceda's halls, to be sure she could find her way to the lab without error. The layout played on one of the screens above her desk. She followed the path with her eyes as she secured the belt of her uniform.
Again, she checked her appearance in the mirror. While she was to standard in her uniform, her face told another story. It reflected the lingering nausea that gave her a twinge every so often, reminding her of the previous day's fiasco. She made a concerted effort to recover from it, to put the whole incident out of her mind. But when she stepped into the hall, panic set in as the triggers snapped into place, renewing the ill sensations. Jennifer began walking quickly toward her destination, bringing to bear the schematic's information with force to take her mind of her stomach's rebellion.
By the time she reached the lab, though, the vicious reaction returned. She was perspiring, feeling nauseated and unable to take a lungful of air. She stood outside the door, trying to compose herself when it opened. Tobias stood there, nonplussed at Jennifer's condition.
"I'm impressed. You made it here without throwing up. That's good."
Jennifer did not respond. She dared not do anything that required her mouth to open.
"In we go," Tobias said, leading the cadet into the lab and to a chair. She ordered her to sit.
Again, Tobias produced an injector with a tiny vial of blue liquid. She took Jennifer's wrist in her hand and injected the contents. This time, there was no sense of sedation. The nausea dissipated and the perspiring stopped. Air became more available. Jennifer breathed deeply, yearning to convince her mind that there was enough of it.
She looked away from Tobias in shame. "I'll pack my things as soon as you release me from my duties here."
Tobias gave a confused gesture. "Pack?"
Jennifer looked at the doctor, equally confused. "I've failed in my duties. There are more perfect candidates to assist you in your work."
"You're imperfect because you threw up?"
"I failed in this environment," Jennifer said emphatically, frustrated that the doctor did not understand her plight.
"Dear child," Tobias said with a look of disappointment, "failure is nothing more than a learning experience. Together, we learned you need a supplement to deal with your surroundings. Eventually, you won't need it and you'll be able to function quite well."
She put the injector on the table. "There. How do you feel now?"
Jennifer took inventory of herself. She was about to answer in a neutral way but remembered that Tobias had asked her a direct question. "Better," she said quietly, not wanting to admit it.
"Good," Tobias said, sounding cheerful. "Are you ready for your first assignment?"
A weight suddenly lifted from the cadet's shoulders that she was not about to be dismissed. "I am," she said.
Tobias stood and walked to another table, reaching underneath it. She pulled up a large cage. "Find me some rats."
"Rats?"
Tobias was not discouraged at being questioned. "Take this trap, set it for three targets, and lure some rats into it. Research what attracts them and get me three."
"Where do I find them?"
The doctor smiled slyly. "Sometimes under your bed, but nearly anywhere will do. I suggest you put the trap in a low traffic area. The storage areas usually work well." She pointed. "Use that terminal there to do your research. Begin when you're ready."
Jennifer moved to the workstation Tobias had indicated and began a search of available data. She had read about the habits of rodents before for an assignment in her schooling. Much of what she had read before came back to her. It helped her to quickly narrow down her searches and get the information she needed. Rats, she learned, ate nearly anything. Sometimes, they even consumed cement or other building materials. Historically, they were responsible for many pandemics that plagued humanity over the eons. They were a hearty race of animals, surviving catastrophic events only to multiply and recover in population.
She reviewed their anatomy, particularly their digestive system. It was typical of many mammals. Jennifer took a small virtual tour of the digestive tract, noting how nutrients were processed in a rodent's body. When she finished, she looked for Tobias, confident in her plan of trapping three of the animals.
"What do you plan to use as bait?" Tobias inquired.
"According to the database, nearly anything will do. I plan on using a sample of the daily meal."
Tobias gave her approval. "Good enough. Let's see what you can do."
Jennifer got up from the workstation and took hold of the cage Tobias had provided. She left the lab and headed back toward her quarters. She stopped at a navigation panel on the wall to find the nearest storage area. There was a parts room not too far from the lab. The computer displayed the shortest route, which she committed to memory. She quickly went back to her room and ordered a meal from the port. The plate was warm, but the food did not look in the least bit appetizing. Despite the injection Doctor Tobias had given her, the idea of consuming food was still uninviting.
The storage room was dank and dark. From what Jennifer could see, it was home to outdated equipment that should probably have been discarded long ago. She looked up at the ceiling. There was no sign of the rock of the mountain she was in, which was a comfort. The straight metal beams of room were consistent and congruent. Still, there was the dripping sound of water in the far reaches of the room that rang out like noisy gongs in her mind. Then she heard the squeal of the rats, the object of her assignment.
She put the cage on the floor and quickly placed the food meant to entice them. She set the sensor on top of it to detect three occupants. The cage would close automatically. Then she backed away and sat in a far corner and watched.
She sat there quietly, waiting, listening as the rats became more curious and brave. She saw one of them venture toward the cage, smelling the air, assessing if something of value was inside the mesh enclosure. It finally entered the cage. That was all it took to convince four more to follow. They darted inside, eager to get at the food meant to tempt them. The door snapped shut, trapping them inside the box. Jennifer's elation at success was short-lived when she realized she had not fulfilled the doctor's request to specification. Tobias had said to capture three rats, not five. They were frantically trying to escape the cage, clawing at the metal mesh. She got up and quickly crossed the room. She examined the controls atop the box and tried to open release the lock on the door without success. She felt panic set in that she had once again failed her mission. The doctor had given her a certain measure of breathing room, but she doubted that would last. At some point, the mistakes would add up, and Jennifer would and should be held accountable.
She tried everything she knew to open the cage with the idea that she could start over, but the lock would not disengage. Finally, she resolved that she would simply have to bring the cage with its excessive number of rodents back to the lab and accept her punishment for failure.
When she entered the lab, Tobias was seated behind the desk. The doctor looked up at her as she presented the cage, intending to accept any wrath aimed at her for her failure to follow orders.
Instead, Tobias chuckled, shaking her head. "You certainly are an overachiever, aren't you?"
"They were inside before the sensors closed the trap. I tried everything I could to get them out," Jennifer said in a flourish, trying to explain the failure.
Tobias, it seemed, was completely amused by the situation. She suppressed a smile as she sat there, watching Jennifer try to talk her way out of the error. She brought her fingers together in a steeple and touched them to her lips, continuing to look intrigued at the cadet's plight.
Jennifer stopped trying to explain, realizing the futility. No matter how what she said, it would not change the fact that she had failed to follow the doctor's instructions. She stood there, jaw set and feeling madder at herself for her inadequacies than ever.
"No harm done," Tobias said after a moment. "If we screw up more than three times, we'll have a head start on getting two more."
Jennifer's mind reeled with the way Tobias reacted to failure. At least with drill instructors and officers of the Dread forces, the consequences were consistent. Punishment was swift and expected. There was a certain comfort in knowing what would happen if an assignment was not completed to satisfaction or a rule was broken. With the doctor, though, the consequences were a mystery. So far, none had been harsh. In fact, Tobias's response had been outright understanding.
"If I may, Doctor, what will be done with them?"
Tobias rose from behind the desk. "You're about to find out. It's time for your first active experimentation work. Bring the cage over here and put it on the table."
Jennifer did as she was told. She hefted the cage onto the lab table. The rats inside scurried against the walls in a panic. They squealed again, clamoring over each other in an effort to escape. The food that had been used as bait had long been forgotten and lay scattered across the floor of the cage, trampled under them.
Tobias tapped the control panel on the top of the cage. The latch released with a solid click. She turned to another table and removed a towel covering a medical tray.
"Bring one of them over here," she ordered.
Jennifer looked at the cage, unsure how to proceed.
"Reach in and grab one," Tobias said, observing her hesitation.
Chase opened the door to the cage, keeping the opening small so as to not let the rats tumble out to freedom. She slid her hand inside and took hold of one of the animals. In a split second, the rat turned and struck at her hand, sinking its teeth into the webbing between her thumb and forefinger. She yelped at assault, quickly withdrawing her hand from cage. The sliding door slammed shut.
Tobias quickly crossed the room and was at Jennifer's side. "What happened?"
Jennifer cradled her hand, the pain blossoming with each heartbeat. Tears stung her eyes as the shock of what happened settled into words. "I've been bitten."
The wound throbbed as Tobias took Jennifer's hand in her own and began inspecting the damage. Blood rolled down in rivulets on both sides. The distinct scent of iron wafted through the air as some of the blood began to coagulate.
"Ah, that's a good one," Tobias said, almost as though she were congratulating the rat on its strike. "Let's get it cleaned up before there's an infection."
She led Jennifer over to a chair on the far side of the room and sat her down with a supportive arm. She opened a nearby cabinet and withdrew medical supplies. The bleeding was already starting to slow. Tobias began cleansing the wound. The antiseptic on the gauze stung viciously as the fabric crossed over the wound. The doctor scanned the wounded.
"No tendon damage," she reported. "Just a good chomp. Never give them the opportunity to turn around on you like that. You'll pay for it every time."
Tobias carefully cleaned the wound, taking extra care as she wiped at the blood oozing from the wounds.
The sting of failure was worse than the bite, Jennifer decided. Since being assigned to Tobias, it seemed she was unable to complete one task successfully except to not crash the cargo ship when transporting Tobias to Alaceda. Her jaw clenched again in frustration. She hardly took notice that the pain had all but vanished in the wound when the doctor treated it with an odd looking instrument that was not standard.
Tobias dressed the wounds, securing the bandages in place with adhesive strips. The treatment left Jennifer with restricted movement in her right hand. She flexed her fingers, testing the limits of her fingers while Tobias put away the treatment kit.
"Ready to try again?" Tobias said.
"With all due respect, Doctor, I think it may be more efficient if you show me how to do it."
Tobias smiled. "You ask for help. I like that." She stood. "Follow me."
Jennifer followed behind the doctor to the cage. Tobias placed a hand on the small door in the front and lifted it up slightly, just as Jennifer had begun to do. But unlike Jennifer, Tobias quickly grasped one of the rats around the neck, securing it in her hand and pulling it back toward the door. The rat struggled but was unable to inflict any damage on its captor.
She brought the rat out, holding it up for Jennifer's inspection.
"Wiley little things, aren't they?" Tobias said.
The rat struggled furiously to free itself to no avail. Tobias brought the rat over to a lab table and held it firmly on the stainless steel surface. She motioned for Jennifer to come closer.
"Your turn. Put your hand over mine. I'm going to transfer control to you on the count of three."
The doctor counted down the procedure. On three, she slipped her hand away as Jennifer pushed down and took control of the rat. Tobias was right – it was easier to handle when the neck was under control. She waited as Tobias turned to grab more instruments off an adjacent shelving unit. Several pieces were attached by wire to a control box. She brought forth a tiny silver probe, lowering the sharp end to the forehead of the rat. Without any advisory, she pushed it forward into the skull of the rat.
The animal lurched wildly under Jennifer's hand. She had difficulty keeping it under control as Tobias continued to insert the probe. The control box began showing readings, stating the proximity to the goal on its tiny screen. Tobias seemed to study both rat and box at once. The sounds the rat was emitting echoed endlessly off the walls of the lab.
"Almost there," Tobias said quietly, still pushing.
The control box chimed. Tobias quickly initiated a sequence of commands. All at once, the rat calmed. For a moment, Jennifer thought it may have been dead, but then she saw the minute respirations, as the animal lay motionless under her hand.
"You can let it go now," Tobias said after a moment of inspection.
Jennifer tentatively released the animal. It was still, listless on the metal table. The tiny probe Tobias had pressed forward now stuck out of the animal's head like an unnatural appendage.
"They're much easier to handle when subdued, aren't they?" the doctor said, picking through a tray of instruments off to the side. She found the one she needed and grasped it.
"As it should be," Jennifer answered, believing fully in the philosophy. "Rodents are inferior."
"So they are," Tobias agreed. "Rather much like how machines see human beings, is it not?"
Jennifer stood at parade rest beside the lab table. This question she was prepared to answer, for it had been such a repetitive part of her studies to know the doctrine of Lord Dread. "The will of Lord Dread supercedes the weakness of the human race."
"Tell me something," Tobias said, leaning in close to the rat with the instrument, "what did it feel like when the rat bit you?"
This Jennifer was not prepared to answer. She surreptitiously touched at the bandage around her hand, out of eyesight of Tobias. The question was a trap. Jennifer was sure of it. The doctor was under suspicion. That much was clear. Subversion was punishable by death. As the hours passed in the presence of Tobias, Jennifer could see the mission forming in a much more clear sense.
The question, though, was one she had no choice but to answer. No matter what sympathies the doctor was trying to evoke, it would not work. Jennifer was wise to the game.
"It was painful," she said. "But the rat is still inferior. It's under your complete control right now."
"That's right, it's under my control. You, on the other hand, couldn't handle such a small animal. In fact, it ended up drawing blood."
"It's incapacitated now because of your expertise."
"No," Tobias countered, concentrating more on her work with the rat than the conversation, "it's incapacitated because I used force and experience to subdue it. That leaves me to question exactly how superior you are as one of Lord Dread's top students. You can't wrangle a rat, but you think you're going to be able to conquer what's left of humanity."
Jennifer remained silent, observing the doctor's work and felt ire that the doctor had so poignantly illustrated an inadequacy in the cadet.
"Because of your apparent lack of skill in rat wrangling," she said, still working closely with the rat, "you'll catch me three every day until I decide your skills are good enough to move on to better things. Until then, you'll have to wait to assist me in larger capacities."
Chase watched the doctor's work, unable to decipher exactly what it was the probe was supposed to do. She dared not ask, either. Tobias had already made her displeasure clear. It would have been unwise to aggravate an already miserable situation.
The rest of the day was spent doing mundane tasks. Tobias set Jennifer to work cleaning and recalibrating microscopes and electrical sensors. Mason and Dixon were probably quite proficient at such tasks, but the doctor assigned the work to Jennifer, occasionally and quite blatantly stopping her own work to inspect the cadet's progress. The hints she offered were not gentle. They were direct commands, citing a missed spot or that the margin of error in the recalibration of a sensor was not tight enough. The string of failures ended only when Tobias dismissed her for the day.
As Jennifer entered her quarters, she saw the communications panel blinking with a pending message. She checked her appearance in the mirror. Her hat was straight, and despite a rather grueling day of climbing in and out of console panels, her uniform had remained presentable. With one long intake of breath, she activated the communications link. Though she should not have been surprised to see her Lord Dread on the screen, her heart still thumped with a fury in his presence. He had said he was going ask her to report her findings, but she had no idea it would be so soon.
"Youth Leader Chase," he said, his voice powerful and direct, "report."
Her throat was dry, but she managed to find a strong voice with which to answer. "My lord, I have arrived at Alaceda and am proceeding as ordered."
"Tell me what you have observed of the experiments performed in the lab."
"My observations have been limited. Doctor Tobias has restricted me to the general lab area. Very few experiments are performed there."
Lord Dread looked more disappointed than displeased. "I was afraid of that." He became determined. "Do whatever you must to gain the trust of Doctor Tobias. I want to know what she's doing in that lab," he said emphatically, "in detail."
"Yes, my lord," she answered, not really having any idea how to fulfill the order.
The screen went blank without so much as a dismissal from Lord Dread. Jennifer was left standing there, wondering what she would do to please him. Her hand began to sting. She sat down on the bed and unwrapped the bandage Tobias had placed on it. The puncture holes were neat and aligned. She thought of the unconscious rat on the table, knowing that if she placed her hand near the rat's mouth, it would line up perfectly with the wounds. Blood still seeped from the holes. She squeezed the skin around it, watching the blood well into a tiny blob. It began to sting, though not too badly. It was more annoying than anything. As she wiped the blood away with the bandage, she felt distaste for the animal take hold in her. Tobias wanted three a day, and that exactly what she planned to get the good doctor. It would be a pleasure to see that many meet their demise.
Jennifer lay back on her bunk, careful to not smear blood on either her or any surface. She put one hand under her head and stared up at the ceiling. Tomorrow was another day, she told herself. Her lord had given her an order, and she had every intention of following it.