Chapter 7

Chapter 16

'Where was she?'

The question echoed through Caitlin's head as she tried in vain to wake. She struggled to remember what had occurred that night. Zack, their kiss, the dinner, all these images whirled through her painfully throbbing head. Lilly! That lying bitch! As she woke from the haze of drugs and pain, the first thing Caitlin became aware of the lights that were burning her eyes. With extreme effort Caitlin turned her head and saw a table that looked like it was used for torture. It was, she realized with horror, identical to the one she lay on.

"Don't worry, its not for you." said a voice.

Caitlin turned to face the voice. A man stood causally in the doorway. His intense blue eyes drilled into her as he walked into the room and stood gazing down at her.

"Who are you? And what do you want with me?" Caitlin managed to crock out.

"Its not you Miss Cale. It's your lover," the voice replied "You see your "Sam" is very important. His voice hardened, "I trained them not to form sentimental attachments. Now Zack must chose, will he give up his freedom or the woman he loves?"

Caitlin heart froze. This man must be Lydecker. Zack had recalled with horrifying clarity the tortures this man had put them through as children. Now he was telling her she would be the reason Zack returned to him. Caitlin was torn between heartache and blinding rage. She felt hot tears pick the back of her eyes.

Lydecker looked at her disdainfully. "Emotions are weak." he began obvious beginning a well-rehearsed sermon. Before he could continue there was a sharp knock at the chamber door.

"Come in doctor." Lydecker ordered.

The door opened a middle aged women entered her high-heels echoing of the sterile walls. She stood stiffly to attention as Lydecker rose to meet her. "Is everything ready?" he asked calmly.

"Yes, but with all due respect sir, M6295 is an untested drug we don't know its side effects. Our objective is to bring X5-559 in and if we kill the subject...."

"If we harm the subject," Lydecker interrupted "X5-599 will became irrational, it will cause him to lose focus and make him vulnerable."

Dr. Smith winced as the girl stiffened in complete horror. Her eyes were full of heart wrenching agony. Lydecker regarded her critically, "If you have a problem with the task doctor, I can easily get a replacement to do it for you."

"That won't be necessary, sir." she said.

"Good, I'll be in my office. I want hourly updates of the drug's progress." He ordered as he strolled out.

Mary turned to face to the table drawing a syringe out of her pocket. She slowly made her way to the table and gripped the terrified girl's wrist. With trembling hands Mary injected the contents of the syringe.

Caitlin felt as if every nerve in her body was on fire. Explosions of color clouded her vision. She clenched her fisted tightly. Tears of agony streamed to her face. Suddenly the pain stopped. Caitlin opened her eyes, expecting to the cold drab walls of Manticore. Instead she found herself in a room draped in gold.

She looked around in awe, she was in a beautiful room filled with light.

"Hey Cat." said a voice behind her.

Caitlin whirled around her heart filled with joy.

"Zack!" she cried.

Caitlin flew into his arms, not caring if this was a hallucination, she just wanted to hold him. Zack warped his arms around her and held her as sobbed.

"It hurts so much." she whispered.

"I know my love." he whispered back.

Zack gently tilled her head and gazing at her loving. "Please be strong my love I will find you." he said, his voice was choked with emotion.

Caitlin nodded "I'll be strong for you."


Mary got up from the chair as the subject-regained conciseness. They had injected her with well above the safe limit for human consumption. Mary had been force to watch the poor girl whither in pain for hours on end. 30 minutes ago the subject had passed out. Now as she awoke Mary was shocked to see a ghost of a smile playing at the battered girl's lips.