jaw was clenched as he struggled to understand what the Sergeant was trying to explain.
“The Target Group consists of a group of young people who attempted to take their own lives and were unsuccessful. Those people were recovered and brought here to begin the first stage of training. You three are all part of that Target Group. Horrible things had happened to each of you in your previous lives and so for various reasons, y’all attempted to commit suicide…but failed. Once the hospitals declared you to be in stable condition, you were brought here to heal. From that point on, since the government felt that you no longer valued your own lives as evidenced by your attempted suicides, the military claimed responsibility for you. The three of you are now considered property of the US Government.”
Sam shook his head in denial as a heart-breaking sob burst forth. I saw him look down at his hands as he twisted his wrists upwards and stared at the jagged scarring that decorated the insides of both wrists. He had a nervous habit of tracing the scars at times, and the faint expression of confusion that clouded his eyes during those times proved he couldn’t recall how or why he had scarring there. Sam looked at me with pain filled eyes as the truth of Sergeant Ramsey’s words finally penetrated his brain. I had wondered about those scars myself, but had been afraid to bring up the topic. Of course I had my suspicions, but hoped that I was wrong.
“Why don’t I remember any of it?” Sam demanded, as the tears started to leak from his eyes. “Does my family know where I am?” Dr. Duffy, who had been utterly silent up until this point, took the opportunity to interject. “Upon arrival, you three were given medications to help suppress memory in order to prevent emotional shock.”
“Kind of a moot point now, seeing as Sam is obviously emotionally traumatized,” I mumbled quietly, but loud enough for all to hear. Doc Duffy glanced at me sympathetically before continuing with his explanation.
“For all intents and purposes to the outside world, you three really did die. Funerals were held for you, and your bodies were really inside the coffins during open viewing. We have access to a special drug that creates the illusion of death. We swapped out your bodies before your coffins were delivered to the cemetery for burial. It was one of our ways of tying up loose ends so we could be assured no one would come looking for any of you. It was also a way for your friends and family to say goodbye and have some closure, so they could move on with their lives.”
I grasped one of Sam’s hands in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. Glancing back at Gideon, I saw him fingering the lightly faded line that marred the skin around his entire neckline. His hours spent in the sun helped to camouflage the scarring somewhat, but it was still visible. Catching his eye, I felt pangs of despondency flooding my chest as I watched him struggle to keep his emotions in check. It hurt me to see my teammates so upset and I wished there was something I could do to take their pain away. Reaching over with my right hand, I clasped Gideon’s hand with my free one and held on tight, trying to offer what comfort I could.
Looking up, I saw that Sergeant Ramsey, Dr. Duffy, and Jamie were all staring intently at me with an expression I couldn’t quite place.
“What?” I demanded defensively, unnerved by their combined attention. The Doc was the one to break the silence as he motioned at me with his hand.
“It’s just that you’re handling all of this remarkably well Teagan. I’m just trying to figure out why you don’t seem at all surprised by any of this,” he commented, as Jamie just stared at me curiously while nodding her head in agreement. I hadn’t anticipated being called out like this so early on, and my mind raced like quicksilver as I tried to come up with a plausible excuse that they would all accept. It was not in my nature to
“The Target Group consists of a group of young people who attempted to take their own lives and were unsuccessful. Those people were recovered and brought here to begin the first stage of training. You three are all part of that Target Group. Horrible things had happened to each of you in your previous lives and so for various reasons, y’all attempted to commit suicide…but failed. Once the hospitals declared you to be in stable condition, you were brought here to heal. From that point on, since the government felt that you no longer valued your own lives as evidenced by your attempted suicides, the military claimed responsibility for you. The three of you are now considered property of the US Government.”
Sam shook his head in denial as a heart-breaking sob burst forth. I saw him look down at his hands as he twisted his wrists upwards and stared at the jagged scarring that decorated the insides of both wrists. He had a nervous habit of tracing the scars at times, and the faint expression of confusion that clouded his eyes during those times proved he couldn’t recall how or why he had scarring there. Sam looked at me with pain filled eyes as the truth of Sergeant Ramsey’s words finally penetrated his brain. I had wondered about those scars myself, but had been afraid to bring up the topic. Of course I had my suspicions, but hoped that I was wrong.
“Why don’t I remember any of it?” Sam demanded, as the tears started to leak from his eyes. “Does my family know where I am?” Dr. Duffy, who had been utterly silent up until this point, took the opportunity to interject. “Upon arrival, you three were given medications to help suppress memory in order to prevent emotional shock.”
“Kind of a moot point now, seeing as Sam is obviously emotionally traumatized,” I mumbled quietly, but loud enough for all to hear. Doc Duffy glanced at me sympathetically before continuing with his explanation.
“For all intents and purposes to the outside world, you three really did die. Funerals were held for you, and your bodies were really inside the coffins during open viewing. We have access to a special drug that creates the illusion of death. We swapped out your bodies before your coffins were delivered to the cemetery for burial. It was one of our ways of tying up loose ends so we could be assured no one would come looking for any of you. It was also a way for your friends and family to say goodbye and have some closure, so they could move on with their lives.”
I grasped one of Sam’s hands in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. Glancing back at Gideon, I saw him fingering the lightly faded line that marred the skin around his entire neckline. His hours spent in the sun helped to camouflage the scarring somewhat, but it was still visible. Catching his eye, I felt pangs of despondency flooding my chest as I watched him struggle to keep his emotions in check. It hurt me to see my teammates so upset and I wished there was something I could do to take their pain away. Reaching over with my right hand, I clasped Gideon’s hand with my free one and held on tight, trying to offer what comfort I could.
Looking up, I saw that Sergeant Ramsey, Dr. Duffy, and Jamie were all staring intently at me with an expression I couldn’t quite place.
“What?” I demanded defensively, unnerved by their combined attention. The Doc was the one to break the silence as he motioned at me with his hand.
“It’s just that you’re handling all of this remarkably well Teagan. I’m just trying to figure out why you don’t seem at all surprised by any of this,” he commented, as Jamie just stared at me curiously while nodding her head in agreement. I hadn’t anticipated being called out like this so early on, and my mind raced like quicksilver as I tried to come up with a plausible excuse that they would all accept. It was not in my nature to
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