The Facility

An insistent knocking awoke Cassidy who mumbled, “What?”

“Trying to hide isn’t very nice,” the deep male voice said. “I know it was explained to you that there are only three spots to have privacy. Where you are is not one of them. And before you get the idea to take up residence in the shower, the three spots are a courtesy, and if abused they can be taken away.

“Have I made myself clear?”

“Yes,” Cassidy replied, carefully pushing the screen away from the bed back to near where the lines were.

“You never said I couldn’t use it however I wanted to. Neither did Peg,” Cass said defiantly.

There was a pause. Did I push it too far? Cass thought.

“Talented and intelligent. Very good. And you are correct, I did not. It is my understanding that your nurse did not inform you of this either.

“Maybe I should punish her instead of you…” the man said thoughtfully.

Cassidy sat up and shouted, “No! Unless you punish yourself too.”

A chuckle came through the speakers. “Then listen. The screen is to allow you a mediocrity of privacy. The restroom and shower have their own, so you are not to use the screen to enclose either one further. You can move the screen to anywhere else in the room, but be forewarned, it allows you no privacy, so I would not do anything you do not want strangers to see.

“Now… If you would be so kind to look towards the viewing wall.”

“The what?”

“The glass wall.”

She did and saw a tall black man in an expensive suit.

He raised a hand in a simple gesture of recognition. “We ha haven’t been formally introduced. If you would be so kind as to step closer.”

Cassidy got out of bed and walked closer to the clear wall. She stopped several feet away and slightly off to the side as if he were a cobra about to strike.

The man spoke. “My name is Hugo Forrester and I run the facility. My word here is law. The sooner you understand that, the sooner we will be able to continue our new relationship.

“I’ve seen some of what you can do firsthand. In the future, we will explore the extent of your powers. We will help each other.

“I imagine that right now, not even you are aware of your potential. Now, tell me you understand and will behave. If you want to be a problem, trust me when I say my will is stronger and I will more than enjoy breaking you.”

Cass heard the menace in his voice.

“So, what shall it be? Go with the program or shall I begin by punishing nurse Peg for her failure?”

Anger flared within Cassidy and her mind reached out to the only thing she could think of.

Her metal tray flew across the room, crashing into the glass where Hugo Forrester stood.

He did not even flinch, she noticed.

The man shook his head but had an evil looking grin on his face that Cass wanted to rip off.

She tried to fling him back against the wall behind him, but nothing happened.

Looking at what was left of the contents of her tray, she raised the soup bowl without a problem. Raising a hand at Hugo Forrester, she willed him backwards to be flattened against the wall behind him. The soup bowl, made of a hard plastic, hit the glass wall and compressed flat, expanding as it got thinner from the exertion.

The man took a surprised step back with one foot as if he were trying to get his balance. He steadied, then reached a hand out and touched the clear wall.

Cass saw something flicker on his side and he said, “I really hope this doesn’t become a habit,” as the ceiling started to hiss.

She looked up, saw the fog and felt remorseful of her actions. Cass would not pay for them, Peg would.

Since she knew what was coming, she went back to her bed and laid back, putting her hands behind her head, them inhaled deeply until sleep took her.

Consciousness came back to Cassidy slowly and she groaned. Rolling onto her side, she adjusted the pillow under her head.

Pillow?

The exam table she kept waking up on did not have a pillow on it. Or rather, never did before. Her eyes sprang open to find out where she was, only to find she was still in her white room, still laying on her bed.

She sighed as she realized she had just thought of it as her bed.

Was she already accepting her situation? Her imprisonment? She refused to believe that.

“About time,” Peg said.

“Peg!” Cassidy exclaimed as she sat up, looking around.

Peg was sitting on the stool that went with the table next to the bed.

Cass went to stand but got dizzy and sat back down before she passed out or fell. She closed her eyes hoping it would help with the spinning room.

Warm fingers took ahold of her wrist and pressed, feeling her pulse. “It will pass. You woke up earlier than last time so you still might feel the effects of the gas, but they will go away soon,” Peg told her.

“I-I’m so sorry,” Cass said with a sob.

When Peg touched her face, Cassidy opened her eyes.

“For what?” Peg asked her.

“F-for losing my temper a-and causing Hugo to p-punish you,” Cassidy said, hiccupping.

“Shh,” the nurse said sitting beside the girl and putting an arm around her, pulling her close.

As she rubbed Cass’s arm she said, “Hugo did nothing to me but remind me of my responsibilities. He is not beyond manipulation and will use your loyalties against you if you let him.

“You stood up to him, however. He will respect you for it. But…” she said pausing. “Respect only goes so far. He will not hurt you unless you force him to, and if you force him to, he will do whatever it takes to make the ends justify the means.

“I’ve seen people resist, and everyone eventually gives in.” She shrugged. “But it’s up to you.”

Cass sniffed and wiped tears from her face. “I heard the men who took me say they killed my mom when they took me. My father is dead. I guess I have nowhere to go anyway.”

“Well then,” the nurse said, “you might as well make your stay here as easy as you can. I know this is not what you want to hear, but you should think of this as home.

“Once things start and Mr. Forrester knows you’re cooperating, then I’ll be able to do more to make this place more enjoyable to you.”

She patted the girl’s leg. “You’ll see. Soon you will meet some of our other residents and be allowed more access. Them it will not be so bad. Not so lonely.”

“If you say so,” Cass replied morosely.

“I do. Now, now are you feeling?”

“My head is throbbing,” Cass said putting her palm on her temple.

Peg nodded. “An unfortunate side effect of the gas. It gets worse the more you are subjected to it, so I would suggest you try to avoid it.

“Go put some cool water on your face and I’ll go get you something for the headache and them we’ll talk more. Okay?”

“Thank you,” Cass said standing up.

The nurse kept a hand on her arm to make sure she did not get dizzy again and let go when Cass began to walk across the room towards the sink.

Peg walked to the wall and exit as Cassidy ran cold water and splashed some on her face.

Already feeling a bit better, Cass walked back over to the bed and plopped down on it, pulling her legs up, sitting Indian style.

Still feeling a but rebellious, she stuck her tongue out at the camera on the wall.

Childish, she knew, but she did not care.

Cassidy sat with her eyes closed until nurse Peg came back with her hands full.

She handed Cass a plastic tumbler and said, “You need a cup anyway, so keep it. I brought you some juice.” Peg held out a small pitcher and filled Cass’s tumbler when she held it out.

Cass only had to smell it to know that Peg had brought her grape juice.

The older woman pulled out a small square from her pocket and held it out to Cass.

The girl took it and looked at it.

Peg said, “It’s just ibuprofen. I left it in the package so you would know. I want you to be able to trust me.”

Cass pushed the pill through the foil backing and swallowed it with a gulp of juice, gagging a few times, taking more sips of juice to get it down.

Peg raised an eyebrow at the show and Cassidy saw it.

After getting the pill down, Cass looked abashed. “Sorry,” she croaked. “I’ve always had problems swallowing pills. Any size. My mother says…”

She looked down into her lap before continuing. Said, it was all in my head. If I can swallow food or drinks okay, then a pill in a mouthful of drink shouldn’t be any different.” Cass shrugged.

“A form of dysphagia. A somatoform disorder.” Peg could see Cassidy did not understand. “A disorder in which physical symptoms show up, but there’s no physical reason for it.”

“So, you’re saying I’m crazy,” the girl said matter-of-factly.

Peg shook her head. “No. It might be only in your mind, but usually there is an underlying cause. Maybe at some point in your life, when you were little say, you choked on a pill. Right then it was traumatic for you, so now when you try to take a pill, your subconscious recalls the past trauma and reacts, causing you to choke.

“In time, if you really wanted, you could retrain yourself not to choke.”

“Oh,” was all Cassidy could say.

Peg sat down next to her and looked at her. “So… We’ll give you a few days to adjust before starting,” Peg began. “Day after tomorrow you’ll be taken to another room to begin the initial testing with the others. Depending on the tests, you will spend part or most of the day there.

“Meals will be eaten here, in-between, and unless there’s a reason, no test will be too early or too late.

“You’ll be given weekends off and as time progresses, as long as your behavior is acceptable, you’ll be given items you request. Treats. Do you understand?”

Cassidy thought it over, then nodded. “If I behave and do what they want, then I’ll be rewarded.”

“Right,” Peg said squeezing Cass’s leg, “but you don’t have to sound so sullen.”

“They didn’t have to kill my mother,” Cassidy replied.

Peg looked in Cass’s eyes. “If they did, I’m sorry. I cannot undo the past; all I can do is try to make the present better. I have said this before, but while the situation sucks, there is no reason to make it any worse. This place isn’t so bad if you accept it.”

“Right,” Cass said rolling her eyes. “If you like featureless white rooms, deathly quiet except for the AC.”

“So, what would you like?”

“Music,” Cass said, brightening. “My – a violin.”

“I’ll see what I can do, but in return you need to behave. No temper tantrums.

“Which reminds me. Outside this room while not confined, the area and stall are still protected. All sections and halls can be sealed and gassed.

“The guards have tranquilizer guns and gas, along with more lethal things if they become necessary.

“Hugo, however, would sacrifice hostages to quell any problems, so that won’t help you.

“Certain… scientists are very adept at using chemicals to get a subject to do what is asked of them as well. It would be in your best interest if you were not to make it so they resort to such drastic measures.”

Cassidy looked at the nurse, concern etched on her face.

“I’m not trying to scare you even though I am. I can tell you are stubborn however, and I want you aware of what you could face if you choose to go that route.

“Since it is part of my job to try to keep you from falling apart, or pick up the pieces afterwards, I’m quite familiar with what happens. I am sure you have watched enough movies to know there are drugs that will make you answer questions truthfully or make it easier to brainwash someone.

“Those I assure you are quite real. They can have bad side effects sometimes, but it is the simpler things that are more effective for someone like you.

“You don’t really answer questions but perform. While you might be young, try to imagine yourself addicted to drugs, and them only given some when you do perform.

“If you refuse, then you will suffer withdrawals and suffer, sometimes horribly. You would be kept alive, and on enough drugs to make you truly miserable and eventually you will do whatever anyone asks, for just one more high.

“Imagine being like that at your age. Then having to live the rest of your life like that.”

Peg shook her head. “Doing it willingly is much better than doing it anyways as a junkie, isn’t it?”

Cassidy found herself acquiescing at the logic.

“Why don’t you clean up and get some rest and I’ll see you in the morning,” Peg said standing up.

“When you want the lights dimmed, just say ’dim the lights’ and they will be dimmed,” Peg told her with a smile.

Cassidy knew then that she was being watched and listened to around the clock. “Thank you,” she told the nurse.

Cass’s headache was better, but not gone. So, she grabbed new clothes and two towels and headed to the shower.

She turned the shower on, letting the water warm, then washed before sitting under the running water, letting it sluice over her, trying to relax her body.

Turning sideways she leaned up against the shower wall – the one to the hallway was solid white – and wondered what she should have done differently, to not have ended up in this situation.

Her mother had tried to warn her, but she had not listened, and now look at her.

She refused to cry again. This was all her fault and she was determined to find a way out of it. She promised herself, owing it to her mother.

Cass got up and turned off the water, dried off and got dressed. She brushed her hair and teeth, used the restroom, then went to her new bed and pulled back the covers.

“Dim the lights,” she said to no one in particular and the light dimmed right away, leaving enough light for her to see to use the restroom, but not enough to really keep her awake.

It was more like a nightlight.

She slid into bed, pulled the covers up and forced herself to sleep.