Caged Uncertainties

Caged Uncertainties

White walls obscured my vision, and my hands and legs found themselves restrained by unyielding metal on a flat, rigid surface. The metallic tang of blood lingered in my mouth, and a sharp needle pressed into my right cheek. Disoriented and bound, I struggled to grasp the reality of my surroundings. It was as if I had stumbled into a forgotten dream, a nightmarish scenario where movement and understanding eluded me.

A voice near my left ear attempted to provide reassurance,

"Little lady, brace yourself. This may sting, but it's the final dose for today." The needle penetrated deeper, and a sense of déjà vu flooded over me. How many times had I endured this blood-soaked taste and the intrusion of a needle into my cheek? The count escaped my recollection.

"She should be stable now, Doctor," a second, more feminine voice interjected.

Doctor? What were they discussing?

"I concur, Mr. Smith. According to the tests, her stability has reached the required level," the feminine voice continued. The male voice chimed in again,

"Let's conclude for the day. Run one more set of tests before returning the girl to her room."

The girl? Was I the girl? Who was I? Rendered immobile by restraints, I became a mere passenger within an unfamiliar shell.

The male voice spoke of a meeting with other board members, deliberating whether to include me with other test subjects or prolong my stay. Test subjects. Was I nothing more than an experiment? No, I was someone. I was...

A sharp pain interrupted my thoughts, as if someone were attempting to carve open my chest. The urge to scream or cry out was met with silence. The pain receded, leaving me motionless and my mind vacant.

"Mmm, still intact, but regeneration needs improvement," a voice remarked. Released from restraints, my body, though free to move, remained unresponsive. Footsteps approached, and a metallic object was lifted from a wall hook. The feminine voice praised me, elucidating the necessity for additional tests. Moments later, the familiar sting and pain returned. Was this a form of punishment? But for what?

"I apologize, little lady," the voice consoled.

"I'll attend to your wounds." Another needle alleviated the pain.

"I might have pushed too hard today," the woman sighed. 

"It's challenging to obtain accurate readings from you. With other tests ongoing, it's becoming quite the ordeal. We must ensure your body can endure the serum's effects, and if not, adjustments are necessary."

Serum? My body? "I understand it's difficult, little lady. Please, endure a little longer." The pain returned, albeit less intense.

"I'm sorry," the woman's voice confessed.

"Let's call it a day. I'll try to persuade the board to halt additional tests. But for now, let's return."

Placed back on a cold surface with restraints reapplied, silence enveloped me, disrupted only by faint static. A sigh and an apology from the woman's voice as something was placed over my mouth – a metal cage? Cages designed for mouths? Again moved, the journey paused, and a voice from above announced,

"Ms. Melody. You are summoned to the laboratory." The woman's voice, now identified as Ms. Melody, affirmed and a door opened.

"Yes, Doctor," she replied.

"Let's take the little lady to her room.”

Room? Was this a semblance of home? After traversing brightly-lit corridors, we entered a door where a hand activated the opening mechanism. 

"Here we are," the voice said as my body was gently laid on a soft mattress. 

"I must leave now." The woman's voice faded as the door sealed shut. Alone and powerless, I was left to my thoughts. Where was I? What had transpired? Questions swirled in my mind.

“Where is the girl?” an unfamiliar voice caught my attention.

"We conducted tests on her today," another voice responded. "Attempting to stabilize her system for accurate readings. The board is concerned, yet demands more results."

"Not her location, I meant. Where is the girl?"

"She's in her room."

"Very well, let us retire for the night.”

Voices fell silent, and a strange sense of relief washed over me. Perhaps tomorrow will bring change. Maybe Ms. Melody would return, and we could unravel the mysteries together. Eager to learn more about myself, I closed my eyes as the lights dimmed.

"Little lady. Please, wake up. Little lady." A woman's voice urged me awake.

"I'm sorry, but we need to administer this now." A needle punctured the left side of my forehead, and my body stiffened. The woman apologized, and my vision blurred. Fatigue overcame me.

"Please little lady. Be strong. For me, for all of us.”

"Little lady." A woman's voice stirred me in the laboratory. 

"I'm glad to see you awake," she said, her hand on my head offering a cold, metallic comfort. 

"We're starting the experiments. Are you ready?" I couldn't answer. I lay there, receptive but inert. 

"This is our final meeting." Something covered my face, and the familiar needle pressed against my cheek. No pain, just the cool touch of metal. The woman's voice grew nearer, yet unseen. 

"Time is running out," she whispered. 

"There's little we can do now." She paused, her breath hitching.

 "I am sorry." 

"You have a future. Live."

Why did time seem to slip away? 

"Live." I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. 

"Live." I couldn't think. 

"Please, live." My vision blurred. 

"Live."

"Ms. Melody." The name rang familiar, yet distant. 

"I'm sorry, little lady. Forgive me." The pain receded, and silence prevailed. 

"It is time, Ms. Melody." A new, unfamiliar voice spoke.

“We need to leave her be now.” The lights extinguished, and a faint hum echoed. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. A sudden chill ran through me, and my limbs went numb. I wanted to scream, to cry, but the sound eluded me. Everything vanished. The last thing I could hear was a short live conversation.

"We have a report. The subject is confirmed unstable."

"No…my- MY LITTLE LADY!”

"Ms. Melody, calm down. We can't do anything. She failed the tests."

"NO! THIS CAN'T BE TRUE!"

"Ms. Melody, you are not a child."

"No, no, no, NO, NO, NOOOO!"

"Ms. Melody-”

“SHE HAS TO LIVE! IVE GIVEN HER 7 YEARS OF MY LIFE! 7 YEARS! SHE IS STABLE! CHECK AGAIN!”

"We are not gods, Ms. Melody. We can't bring her back."

"NO! MY LITTLE LADY!"

"We will give you a moment to grieve.”

"LITTLE LADY, COME BACK TO ME!"

A gasp, that’s what I heard. How could I hear, everything vanished, was I somewhere new? What was going on?

“So, the little lady has awoken,” a voice said. I never heard this voice, I opened my eyes to see an old looking person, long hair on his head and face. Who was this? 

“Good to see you are awake little lady, or should I say, Amira Florence?”

Amira Florence? The name echoed in my mind, a name that felt like a distant memory struggling to surface. Who was I? Questions swirled in my confused mind as I tried to make sense of the situation.

The old man, with a gentle smile, extended a hand towards me. 

"No need to be frightened, Amira. You're safe now. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time." With caution, I accepted his hand, allowing him to help me up from the soft mattress.

The room we were in was unlike the sterile surroundings I had grown accustomed to. It felt warm and inviting, with soft hues and a comforting atmosphere that contrasted starkly with the clinical environment of the facility.

"Who are you?" I finally managed to articulate, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears.

The old man chuckled, his eyes holding a mixture of kindness and sorrow. 

"My dear, I go by many names, some good, some bad. Common ones are God, Mother Nature, Father Time, some call me the Universe. But for you, you my dear can call me pops,” he said, his thin eyes crinkling at the sides.

“Pops?” I asked and he nodded, “yes, call me pops,” I hesitated for a moment, absorbing the surreal nature of the encounter. Pops, a name attributed to a figure seemingly beyond the bounds of the ordinary.

"Pops," I repeated, testing the unfamiliar word on my tongue. The room seemed to expand, and a warm glow enveloped us. Pops gestured toward a chair, inviting me to sit. As I did, he settled into another across from me, his gaze never wavering.

"Amira Florence, you've been through quite the ordeal, haven't you?" he mused. My mind raced, trying to grasp the fragments of memories and make sense of the name he had mentioned. Amira Florence. It felt like a key unlocking hidden chambers within my consciousness.

"Who am I, really?" I asked, seeking clarity in the midst of the haze.

Pops leaned forward, his expression tender. 

"You, my dear, are a unique creation, a spark of life. But you've been confined, manipulated, and subjected to forces beyond your understanding." His words resonated with a truth that echoed within me.

"The facility, the experiments, Ms. Melody...What was all that?" I inquired, the pieces of my past slowly aligning.

He sighed again, a somber expression clouding his features.

 "They were part of the system, a cycle that needed to be broken. Ms. Melody, in particular, had invested much of herself into your well-being. But the experiments were unsustainable, my dear. It was a flawed pursuit."

The weight of his words settled in my chest, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of loss for those voices that had accompanied me through the trials. Pops placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, offering silent reassurance.

"But why me? What was the purpose of it all?" I pressed, my eyes searching for any answers.

Pops sighed once more, as if carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

"Amira, you were an attempt to push the boundaries of creation, a bridge between the known and the unknown. The scientists sought to understand the essence of life, to manipulate it for their own purposes. But such endeavors often lead to unintended consequences."

As he spoke, flashes of memories flickered in my mind – the pain, the experiments, Ms. Melody's desperate pleas. I struggled to reconcile the pieces of my fragmented existence.

"You were a vessel of potential, Amira," Pops continued. 

"A vessel that held the key to unlocking a new kind of understanding. However, the path they chose was paved with uncertainty and moral ambiguity."

A deep sense of responsibility washed over me, a feeling that my existence held significance beyond the confines of the laboratory. Pops noticed the turmoil on my face and spoke with empathy.

"It's not your fault, my dear. You were thrust into a world of complexity and manipulation. But now, you have a choice – a choice to shape your own destiny."

His words lingered in the air, and for the first time, I felt a glimmer of hope. Pops stood up, his old joints creaking, and walked over to a nearby window. Beyond the glass, I glimpsed a world I had only dreamed of – lush greenery, sunlight streaming through the leaves, a world untouched by the sterile confines of the laboratory.

"Welcome to the sanctuary, Amira. This is a place where you can discover who you truly are, free from the constraints of experiments and expectations. A world where the choices are yours to make."

As I stepped closer to the window, the warmth of the sunlight on my skin felt like a long-lost embrace. The world beyond beckoned, filled with wonder and unknown possibilities. Pops joined me, his eyes reflecting a mixture of pride and affection.

"Is this... trusting?" I asked, uncertainty tingeing my voice.

Pops nodded, a gentle smile on his weathered face. 

"Yes, my dear. Trust yourself, trust the journey, and trust that you have the power to shape your own destiny. The sanctuary is yours to explore, and you are not alone."

With those words, he extended his hand once more, inviting me to step into the world beyond the laboratory. As I took his hand, a sense of something I never felt before enveloped me, a warm feeling, something I only felt when bathed. Can you feel warm without the use of a liquid?

Together, we walked towards the open door, leaving behind the confines of the laboratory and entering a world of endless possibilities. The questions that lingered were now opportunities to discover, the wonders that awaited were mine to explore.