RACHEL'S VISITORS
Rachel was again in her holding pen, lying on her back, and trying to
collect her wits after being sedated. Gorigan and Lovrina had all but
thrown her back in once they brought her back, and had checked the
locks and hinges of both her holding pen's main door, and the hinges
and padlock on the feeding hatch in the other part of the mesh.
She had slept after the sedation, the day's events and time allowing
tiredness to creep up on her. She had woken an hour or two later,
with an awareness of having had disturbingly violent dreams, dreams
in which she attacked people and Pokémon, bit and clawed and
slammed against them. She had awoken in a rage that she knew had
to be down to the processing, and had fought to control it. She
recalled her bloodthirsty joy at hurting the grunt back in the
Processing Room, something she was unused to, and was so out of
character for her. She knew that this was down to the processing, but
since seeing Lu, she had decided she would fight rather than lie down
and give up as she had almost done before the shock of seeing him
had shaken her out of that dangerous depression and apathy.
She was aware that the effects of the processing were strongest for
about an hour immediately after, then seemed to fade just a little.
She didn't burn with anger as she had when she had attacked the
peons, though how much of it came from a determination to help Lu
escape she couldn't have said. She was on edge, and always on the
edge of her mind was a desire to hit and hurt somebody-preferably
Lovrina, or Gorigan, but if she was going to be honest, anyone would
do. She couldn't allow herself to obey that impulse, and fought to
keep it under her control. She would keep her own mind and live by
her own values as long as she could. Yes, maybe Lovrina, and
Gorigan, and whoever else was involved, would use their machines to
turn her to Shadow, and she knew that she could only resist so long,
but she would keep her humanity and dignity as long as she could.
There was also a possibility that Lu could find help and get her free
before that happened, but she wouldn't rely on that. She hoped for
rescue at some time, but had to accept that it was possible that some
time might pass before she could be rescued from this Shadowy
existence.
She was jolted out of her thoughts by the sound of footsteps coming
down the corridor. She turned her head to see a white-coated man,
obviously a scientist, coming down the corridor with two bowls, one
with water, and one filled with familiar looking brown stuff. He went
to the food hatch, opened it, and pushed the bowls through. Rachel
fought down the urge to leap for his hand and grab it, and preferably
bite it. She waited for him to take his hand out and re-lock the hatch
before approaching. Yes, the bowl was filled with pokéchow, and it
looked like the same cheap stuff George had used when he'd changed
and trained her. Looking up, she saw that the scientist was still
standing there, and regarded him with a mixture of curiosity and
distaste. She supposed he'd come to gawk at Lovrina's new
experimental subject, but as he noticed her looking at him, he put his
finger to his lips and beckoned her over.
Intrigued, Rachel went over to the mesh and stood near him. He
looked around to make sure there was no-one else coming, and
leaned forwards to whisper in her ear.
"I won't tell you my name." He told her "but I will tell you that I don't
agree with what Lovrina is doing. I don't hold with doing this sort of
thing to humans. I can't stay-I got the person who was to bring you
this to let me bring it instead, feigning an interest in seeing how
Lovrina's experiment was going. I can't release you right now, I'd be
found out, but I will return and find a way to release you. I don't
know when, but be ready." With that, he turned and went back out,
leaving Rachel alone, and with something to think about.
Perhaps she had a chance after all.
She settled down to eat the pokéchow and drink some water. As
unappetising as the stuff was, it was all that she was likely to get,
and if there was to be a chance of escape, she'd need to be ready,
and that meant not feeling faint from hunger or having a gnawing
pain in her belly. Carefully she ate half of what she was given, and
put the rest in a corner for later. After all, she had no idea how long it
would be before she was fed again.
Fifteen minutes later she had a far less welcome visitor. Lovrina, her
entourage of peons in tow, came down the corridor.
