as Dr. Harris did. Jemma didn’t believe that Dr. Harris would do anything to kill her or permanently injure her.
Josh just might.
CHAPTER SEVEN:
Blind
Jemma was greeted the next morning by a welcome change in her guard; Heidi arrived to escort her for her morning trip to the restroom and then to the lab. The woman had been instrumental to her earlier escape, not just sympathetic, but actively helpful, arranging for Jemma to overhear conversations she needed to and even providing a crude map.
“I’m glad to see you in one piece,” Heidi typed as they walked, Jemma unable to respond, “though I’m more than a little surprised to see you again. How are you holding up?”
Heidi was walking beside her. It felt so different, walking beside someone instead of being prodded from behind or being led by a firm grip on the arm. Jemma waggled her hand back and forth, then shook her head. She rubbed her temple, her forehead, then showed Heidi the bruise on her arm that had yet to fade in the slightest.
Heidi tensed. Jemma could see her arms get tighter through her shirt, despite the padding, and Heidi’s face froze, her mouth tightening, eyes flashing. She stopped moving, turning toward Jemma. She studied her arm without touching it, then continued walking, Jemma trotting to keep up. She didn’t type anything further until they were in the bathroom.
“Who did this to you?” Heidi handed Jemma her keypad, which was similar to Josh’s.
“Josh. He put a tracker in me so I couldn’t escape again. It’s relatively small, considering, but it’s deep. It still sort of hurts when I use that muscle.”
Heidi took the keypad again. “It’s not just the size, why they don’t put those sorts of things in humans, or animals even. We haven’t finished testing that. I don’t know what that could do to you if we leave it in.” She put the keypad back in her pocket, then touched Jemma’s arm, looking at her for permission. Jemma nodded, and Heidi manipulated it carefully, shaking her head before letting it go. She retrieved her keypad again. “You’re right. It’s deep. We’re not getting that out of you short of outright surgery.”
Jemma nodded again. She’d already guessed as much. She held out a hand for the keypad. “Dr. Harris is trying to protect me, I think. He hasn’t let me be alone with Josh since this happened.”
“That’s good,” typed Heidi after taking back the device. “We can use that to keep him from arguing when I take over your protection permanently. That slime shouldn’t have been alone with you in the first place.” She rested her left hand on Jemma’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” Jemma shrugged, not sure how else to respond. “Okay, you do your thing in here. They won’t let me get away with leaving the room, but I can turn to face the door, at least, which I’d guess is more than you’ve been getting since you got back.”
***
By the time they got to the lab, Jemma felt safer than she had since arriving back at the facility. She knew Heidi was limited in what she could do, but at least the woman wouldn’t let Jemma be harmed if she could help it.
In the lab, Josh stood next to the seated Dr. Harris, as she’d come to expect. Instead of waiting by the door, though, Heidi came to stand on the other side of Jemma’s chair. As Jemma sat, she thought she saw a look of relief on Dr. Harris’s face. Josh, meanwhile, just rolled his eyes in Heidi’s direction.
“How are you doing today, Jemma?” typed Dr. Harris, handing her both paper and crayon.
She blinked at him before she responded.
My head never stops hurting. It feels a bit like a stretched out rubber band from getting the drug over and over every day. I want to go home.
His face closed off before he typed, and Jemma pushed away any regret for her honesty. She was human, a real person, not just a subject, and it was important he remember that. “We’ve checked the scans
Josh just might.
CHAPTER SEVEN:
Blind
Jemma was greeted the next morning by a welcome change in her guard; Heidi arrived to escort her for her morning trip to the restroom and then to the lab. The woman had been instrumental to her earlier escape, not just sympathetic, but actively helpful, arranging for Jemma to overhear conversations she needed to and even providing a crude map.
“I’m glad to see you in one piece,” Heidi typed as they walked, Jemma unable to respond, “though I’m more than a little surprised to see you again. How are you holding up?”
Heidi was walking beside her. It felt so different, walking beside someone instead of being prodded from behind or being led by a firm grip on the arm. Jemma waggled her hand back and forth, then shook her head. She rubbed her temple, her forehead, then showed Heidi the bruise on her arm that had yet to fade in the slightest.
Heidi tensed. Jemma could see her arms get tighter through her shirt, despite the padding, and Heidi’s face froze, her mouth tightening, eyes flashing. She stopped moving, turning toward Jemma. She studied her arm without touching it, then continued walking, Jemma trotting to keep up. She didn’t type anything further until they were in the bathroom.
“Who did this to you?” Heidi handed Jemma her keypad, which was similar to Josh’s.
“Josh. He put a tracker in me so I couldn’t escape again. It’s relatively small, considering, but it’s deep. It still sort of hurts when I use that muscle.”
Heidi took the keypad again. “It’s not just the size, why they don’t put those sorts of things in humans, or animals even. We haven’t finished testing that. I don’t know what that could do to you if we leave it in.” She put the keypad back in her pocket, then touched Jemma’s arm, looking at her for permission. Jemma nodded, and Heidi manipulated it carefully, shaking her head before letting it go. She retrieved her keypad again. “You’re right. It’s deep. We’re not getting that out of you short of outright surgery.”
Jemma nodded again. She’d already guessed as much. She held out a hand for the keypad. “Dr. Harris is trying to protect me, I think. He hasn’t let me be alone with Josh since this happened.”
“That’s good,” typed Heidi after taking back the device. “We can use that to keep him from arguing when I take over your protection permanently. That slime shouldn’t have been alone with you in the first place.” She rested her left hand on Jemma’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” Jemma shrugged, not sure how else to respond. “Okay, you do your thing in here. They won’t let me get away with leaving the room, but I can turn to face the door, at least, which I’d guess is more than you’ve been getting since you got back.”
***
By the time they got to the lab, Jemma felt safer than she had since arriving back at the facility. She knew Heidi was limited in what she could do, but at least the woman wouldn’t let Jemma be harmed if she could help it.
In the lab, Josh stood next to the seated Dr. Harris, as she’d come to expect. Instead of waiting by the door, though, Heidi came to stand on the other side of Jemma’s chair. As Jemma sat, she thought she saw a look of relief on Dr. Harris’s face. Josh, meanwhile, just rolled his eyes in Heidi’s direction.
“How are you doing today, Jemma?” typed Dr. Harris, handing her both paper and crayon.
She blinked at him before she responded.
My head never stops hurting. It feels a bit like a stretched out rubber band from getting the drug over and over every day. I want to go home.
His face closed off before he typed, and Jemma pushed away any regret for her honesty. She was human, a real person, not just a subject, and it was important he remember that. “We’ve checked the scans
Similar Books
