Thane, p.2
Thane, page 2
Camo Pants wore a similar grin. “Aww.”
“Ahem.” Suspenders appeared to be nonplussed. “I’m Ethan Winters, I’m a Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Cambridge in Massachusetts. And suppose you wanted to design a better flying vehicle or program the next generation of artificial intelligence. In that case, you might want to kidnap me, but giving me a grant would be far less expensive.”
“What up, yo!” The small and wiry Camo Pants guy certainly didn’t lack for energy. “I’m Jamie, Jamie Gamble. I’m a pilot in the United States Air Force. I’m not comfortable saying the exact location, but I am stationed in the northeastern US. Oh, and I don’t know why I’m here. I mean, I’m a good pilot, but I’m still in training.”
Overalls cleared her throat. “My name is Victoria. I’m a librarian and an actress from Carlsbad, California. I’m not sure why I’m here.”
Ethan jumped in, “Not sure, or you don’t know?”
Victoria’s expression soured. “I’m still reeling from a nasty breakup, okay? But she doesn’t have the resources to do something like this, and also, why on Earth would she kidnap all of you?”
Wristbands shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, y’all, I’m Mai. I’m a mechanic from Jonesborough, Tennessee. No idea, never hurt nobody.”
All eyes turned to the girl next to Cris, who still seemed unsure, but after a moment, “Hi, yes, I’m— my name is Alera. But you can call me Al.”
Everybody waited expectantly, but nothing followed. Alera looked around nervously.
Cris tried to help. “Hi, Al. What do you do, and where are you from?”
Alera nodded gratefully. “Oh! Yes! I’m a student. At Castleton State College.” A moment passed. “In Vermont.”
“What do you study there?”
“Oh. I’m still undecided. But I’m leaning towards astronomy or programming.”
Cris smiled. “I took programming classes when I was a kid, I loved it, but I didn’t have the discipline. Can you think of any reason anybody’d want to kidnap you? You’re not, like, a software company heiress or something, right?”
Alera surprised Cris with a laugh. “Oh, God, no. My mom’s a single mother. She works as a waitress and housekeeper.”
Ethan summed up, “Everyone is from the USA, but not everyone is from the same region. Five of us are highly skilled, but two are not.”
Victoria glared at him. “Which two exactly?”
Cris picked up the thread, “Can anyone else think of anything we all have in common? Anything significant? Wait, we were all sleeping alone? Is everybody here single?”
Everyone nodded except for Victoria. “I mean, I am now…”
Cris mouthed “Sorry,” to which she appeared to mouth, “It’s okay.”
Meryn snapped her fingers. “Oh, hell. I have no family, very few friends. Maybe they picked us because no one would miss us?”
Cris shook his head, but Jamie spoke up before he could, “Naw, good idea, but my parents and sister would miss me quite a bit. Besides, I bet your friends would miss you quite a lot, and your fur babies DEFINITELY would.”
Meryn flashed another smile. “Aww. Thanks, Jamie.”
Ethan was turning pink. “Sentimentality does not help us. If we truly are strangers with nothing in common, then why were we brought here against our will?”
Cris was looking at Alera when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye, and he spun to his right. Three words had appeared on the door as if in answer to Ethan’s question.
Chapter 3
Cris waited. What for, he wasn’t sure. An explanation? An attack? But there was no further addendum to the announcement on the door. Compared to the last message I saw, this one feels sinister.
Mai fiddled with her hands. “What preparations? Preparations for what?”
The words faded from the door’s surface, and the door slid open with a hiss. Beyond was a large room with a table and chairs and what appeared to be a bunch of armchairs in a circle. Cris cautiously approached the opening but stopped when he heard Victoria’s voice.
“I don’t think we should be so quick to do whatever the kidnappers want.”
Ethan frowned. “Right now, our primary goal should be to gather as much information as possible. And we’ve exhausted about all we’ll get from this hallway.”
Jamie raised a finger. “Also, I dunno about everybody else, but I got a warning when I tried to take my collar off, something about punishment. I don’t know what they mean, but it doesn’t sound fun.”
Meryn added, “Can confirm. Not fun.”
Alera gasped. “You were punished?”
Meryn nodded. “I kept trying to take this stupid collar off because I thought the warning might be a bluff, you know? And then, out of nowhere, I felt like my entire body was on fire. It must’ve lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. And then it stopped, and the wall told me I had one strike.”
Everyone was silent as they digested this new information. Cris looked at Meryn’s face and saw the raw anger in her eyes. I was foolish for thinking of our kidnappers as “polite”. Anyone who would do that to another human being is clearly a sadist.
The group slowly filed into the new room. Cris noticed it was just as pristine as his cell. There was a large round table with seven chairs in one half of the room, and the other half contained seven comfortable armchairs in a circle. More interesting were the doors. Like the previous hallway, there were seven doors, three along each side, and the largest door was at the head of the room. The doors were all different colors, red, blue, yellow, green, orange, pink, and – the largest – white.
Jamie was the first to speak. “Trippy. What’s this, like kindergarten or some shit? We here to learn colors?”
Cris laughed. “You, uh, you don’t talk like many soldiers I’ve ever met.”
Jamie grinned. “That’s right, yo. There’s only one Jamie!”
At that moment, the klaxon blared once, and words appeared in blue along the wall.
Meryn snorted. “How kind of our torturers.”
Ethan walked over to the armchairs. “Suit yourself. But the smartest move here is to do as they say, otherwise we risk further punishment.” Ethan sat down stiffly in the nearest armchair.
The others followed, Alera and Mai sitting first opposite Ethan. Cris and Jamie were next, and sat together between the girls and Ethan. Meryn, seeing one of the only two seats left on the other side of Ethan, made a beeline for the other seat. Victoria let her pass and calmly sat between them, though Cris thought she looked mildly displeased at the arrangement.
Jamie commented first as he reclined, “Well, they’re comfy, at least.”
Victoria leaned forward. “Al, I just noticed – your eyes are so pretty.”
Alera blushed and looked down at her legs. “Oh! Thank you.”
Meryn joined in. “She’s not wrong, Al. Heterochromia’s pretty rare.”
Jamie scratched his bald head. “Hetero what now?”
“Heterochromia. It’s when a human or animal’s eyes have multiple colors. Al here has complete heterochromia, meaning each eye is a separate and distinct color.”
“Is…is it like a disease?”
Cris interrupted, “No, it’s not a disease, it’s just a genetic feature, like being tall, brown-haired, or bald at a young age.”
Jamie laughed and rubbed his smooth head. “Added sexiness then, I get it.”
Everyone laughed except Ethan.
“Hello!”
Cris jumped out of his seat as the voice of what sounded like a teenage girl came from directly behind him. But when he turned to look, he saw nothing that wasn’t there before. “What the…?”
The voice carried on with a cheerful lilt. “Forgive me if I startled you. No, I’m not actually here. I’m a virtual instructor, or V.I. for short, but please, feel free to call me Vi.”
Cris walked around the room. It’s like the voice is following me…as if it’s just coming from the empty air in the middle of the room.
Mai stood up, fists balled, looking up at the ceiling. “Why have you kidnapped us?”
Vi merrily answered, “You are here to perform a series of tasks. I apologize for any inconvenience.”
“It’s a bit more than an inconvenience!”
Cris, still looking for a speaker in the ceiling or floor, asked, “What do these tasks involve?”
Vi appeared to be endlessly jovial. “You will learn more about the tasks when it’s time to do them.”
Ethan cleared his throat. “What purpose do these tasks serve?”
Vi chirped, “Successful completion of tasks will result in rewards.”
“What kind of rewards?”
“Food, drink, and/or entertainment.”
“But we’re not allowed to leave?”
“If you successfully complete the final task, you may exit through the white door.”
I knew it! Cris looked again at the white door. It looked heavier and sturdier than any other door in the hallway or the large room.
Ethan leaned forward. “And if we fail?”
Vi answered, “Failure to complete a task or attempting to tamper with your collars will result in a strike.”
Everybody froze.
Victoria asked, “What do the strikes mean?”
“Strikes are a measure of disobedience and/or failure. The number of strikes a person has is indicated on the back of their collar.”
All eyes turned to Meryn as she immediately tried rotating her collar, but nothing ever appeared.
Cris walked around behind Meryn. Sure enough, a large red X was on the back of her collar. “I’m guessing it stays on the back no matter how much you try to turn it?”
Vi affirmed, “That is correct.”
Meryn asked, “You see it?”
Cris nodded, “Yeah. It’s a red X.”
Ethan leaned back. “And there’s an accompanying punishment for strikes, yes?”
Vi merrily pronounced, “Your first strike will result in the collar sending an impulse to the brain’s pain center, activating it while simultaneously sending an impulse to the neurons in your central amygdala to silence them. The resulting pain will be extreme and all-encompassing. The impulse will last for one second.”
Meryn stood up. “Bullshit! That felt like at least ten seconds, wasn’t it?”
Vi corrected, “Regardless of how it felt, Meryn, your punishment only lasted for one second.”
Cris turned to the empty air in the center of the room. “You know all our names?”
Vi answered, “Yes, Cris, that is correct.”
“Are you an artificial intelligence?”
“I am a virtual instructor.”
Cris stared. What kind of a non-answer is that?
Ethan shook his head. “We’re getting off-topic. What happens when you get a second strike?”
Vi continued to deliver grim portents in the same tone of voice as an overly peppy store cashier. “Your second strike will result in the collar sending another pair of impulses to the pain center and amygdala, resulting in extreme pain, but this time the impulse will last until you fall unconscious.”
Meryn’s jaw dropped, and Alera covered her open mouth with one hand.
Cris asked, “How long will that take?”
Vi cheerily answered, “The time needed varies, depending on the individual’s constitution, but roughly forty-five seconds to a minute should suffice.”
The looks of horror and shock on everyone’s face accompanied Meryn’s shout, “OH MY GOD!”
Ethan appeared the least perturbed, but his voice wavered a bit as he asked, “And the third strike?”
Vi brightly responded, “The collar will send a targeted electric shock to the nerve fibers inside the brain stem.”
Meryn gasped.
Vi continued, “This results in a painless and instantaneous death.”
Chapter 4
The room erupted with noise. Meryn, Mai, Jamie, and Victoria were all on their feet and shouting simultaneously while Alera sobbed. Ethan didn’t make a sound as he stared off into the distance, and Cris could only manage a light gurgle as a wave of nausea rolled over him. This is absolutely insane – if they’re willing to straight up murder us without a second thought, then what horrific things are the tasks going to make us do?
Mai had tears in her eyes. “JUST LET US GO!”
Meryn had hate in her eyes. “SHOW YOUR FACES, YOU FUCKING COWARDS!”
Jamie was also raging, “THIS IS FUCKING FUCKED UP, YO!”
Victoria cried, “PLEASE! I DON’T BELONG HERE! I’VE DONE NOTHING WRONG!”
Cris stumbled away from the cacophony and knelt behind Alera’s chair. Al was still weeping. The sudden urge to comfort her struck him, but he was keenly aware of the fact that they barely knew each other.
“Hey, Al.” The words were out of his mouth before he knew what he was going to say.
Alera didn’t look back, but she raised her head.
It felt trite and empty, but he had nothing else. “We’re going to be okay.”
Alera remained silent. To cover the awkwardness, Cris stood up and sat beside her.
“There’s a….an orphanage. In Falls Church, just outside of Arlington. My sister runs it, and I help out when I can.”
Alera had stopped crying, at least.
Cris looked in her eyes and said, ultra-seriously, “So we have to be okay. Otherwise, some orphans will cry.”
Alera gave a half-smile and finally spoke. “Is that true?”
Cris looked away. “No. All of them will cry. We barely feed them.”
Alera’s green and blue eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she burst out laughing, and Cris joined in.
Cris through laughter said, “I’m sorry, that joke is SOOO dark!”
Alera wiped her eyes. “It was good, though.”
Cris wanted to tell her they’d be okay again, but instead, he just locked eyes with her and nodded.
The shouting had calmed to loud voices. Meryn still demanded, “Tell us what the hell is going on! Answer me, Vi! VI!”
Ethan raised his voice for the first time. “Have you considered asking her a question?”
Everyone quieted.
Ethan’s volume returned to its usual level. “She doesn’t respond to commands or statements, do you, Vi?”
Vi returned, “That is correct. I have been programmed to answer questions and give the subjects their instructions.”
Cris glanced at Ethan. He doesn’t miss much. He’s not terribly gifted socially, but he is sharp.
Meryn asked, “Why did you call us subjects just now?”
Vi answered, “Because that is how you are labeled.”
Victoria questioned, “Is this all some kind of experiment?”
Vi chirped, “I do not have that information.”
Jamie shouted, “So, who the hell locked us in here?”
Cris could hear Vi smiling. “The main computer controls the locks.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Ethan decided to take over. “Vi, who programmed the main computer?”
Vi merrily responded, “I do not have that information.”
“Vi, what information do you have that we don’t already know?”
“I have information on the planned structure of each day, information on the dormitory, information on the two types of tasks the subjects will be facing, and information on the subjects themselves.
“Let’s take those in order, shall we? What’s the planned structure of each day?”
“Each day begins with breakfast at seven A.M. here in the common room. Subjects will have access to standard breakfast fare including several cereal selections and juice. Subjects have free time until noon, at which point they’ll be required to perform the first task of the day.”
A stray thought broke Cris’ focus. This sounds weirdly like school.
Vi continued, “After the first task, dinner will be available, and subjects will have free time until seven P.M., at which point they’ll be required to perform the second task of the day. After the second task, the subjects will have free time until eleven P.M., at which point the common room will be locked until breakfast starts the following day.”
Jamie snorted. “Probably so we don’t beat their asses while they’re bringing out our food.”
Ethan ignored him. “Vi, what information on the dormitory can you give us?”
Brightly, Vi advised, “You may now use the dormitory as you see fit. The rooms you woke up in belong to you, and the doors to each room will now respond to the presence of their owner and no one else. There are no rules about staying in your own room, but if multiple people share a room, you do so at your own risk.”
Meryn took over the interrogation. “What are the two types of tasks we’ll be facing?”
“Your first task of the day is a practical task. These tasks require skill, knowledge, and teamwork to succeed.”
Mai interrupted, “Do you have an example of a practical task?”
“I do not have that information.”
Meryn resumed, “And the second type of task?”
“The evening tasks are social tasks. These will require courage, judgment, and interpersonal skills to succeed.”
Alera wryly remarked, “Sounds delightful.” Cris looked at her and lightly snorted.
Ethan stood up from his seat. “And while I admit to some trepidation, perhaps we should ask Vi for information about ourselves.”
Meryn crossed to him and shot back, “No! We already agreed not to divulge too much about ourselves.”
Ethan retorted, “This is information our kidnappers already have. Not only can it not do us additional harm, but it would be wise to find out what they know.”
Meryn regarded him with lifeless eyes. “I think I genuinely hate it when you’re right.”
Ethan’s face remained unmoved as she walked away. “You’re not the first. Nor will you be the last. Vi, what information do you have regarding the subjects?”
“Jamie Gamble. Twenty-three years old. Air Force Pilot stationed at Wellens Air Force Base in Wayland, Massachusetts. Flight and Aeronautics expert.”
