Chapter Twenty-Nine

Caleb

Cold metal bit into my wrists. Its sharp edges chafed against my flesh, sending painful sparks leaping up my arms. I thrashed wildly in an attempt to free my arms, but had no luck; if anything, it just made my bonds tighter.

I had my eyes screwed shut, so I was shrouded in darkness. It was easier that way; easier to ignore the pain, to focus on the hatred building up within me. And believe me, there was plenty of that.

As far as I knew, I was alone. Miracle and Leary had left a time before, explaining that they had an infraction to deal with and would return as soon as possible. I hoped, for my sake, they would never return at all. But given Miracle's rage the night before, when I'd refused her proposal, she wouldn't even dream of skipping this. Not when she had the chance to punish me so completely.

Sure enough, several minutes later, I heard the unmistakable sound of a door sliding open. Footsteps clicked on tile, then stopped. There was no sound for a moment, just that of my breathing, loud and coarse in my ears. Knowing that Leary and Miracle were watching, I flailed against the metal shackles restraining my wrists.

"The more you struggle, the more it'll hurt," came Miracle's voice, calm and conversational. "Just putting that out there."

Fuming, I opened my eyes to glare at her, and immediately regretted it. A pair of bright lights bore down from right above my head, positioned in such a way that they shone directly into my eyes. I swallowed a scream at the intense burning that flooded my eyes, seeming to drill into my skull.

"Would you turn these off?" I narrowed my eyes against the glare, and was just barely able to make out the figures of Miracle and Dr. David Leary standing at the foot of my seat.

"No, Caleb," the doctor drawled, his low, buzzing tone sounding chills up my spine. "I know it's painful, but the dilation of your pupils is imperative for this to be successful."

Groaning inwardly, I closed my eyes again. Bright spots of colors danced in the darkness of my mind. "Maybe I don't want this to be successful," I retorted feebly. I through myself forward, gritting my teeth as the cuffs on my wrists became suffocatingly tight.

"It appears that you don't. However, as Miracle has already explained, that choice is not up to you," Leary murmured. I felt, rather than saw, him coming closer. "Please open your eyes, Caleb."

I squeezed them shut.

Leary sighed. "Fine. If you insist to continue this rebellious nature, so be it. I'll be getting what I want whether you cooperate or not."

A moment later, the dentist's chair I sat in began to tilt backwards, until my head was lower than my feet. I felt slight pressure on my face, then, quite suddenly, my left eye was pulled open. Fingers grasped my lashes, peeling my eyelids away from each other. Something cold and sticky was pressed against my skin. I heard footsteps, then the same procedure was redone on my right side.

"There we go," Leary said absently.

I tried to blink, but found that my muscles would not obey me. My eyes were secured open, and exposed to the unrelenting blaze of the lights above me.

"You can't do this," I snarled, feeling my eyes begin to water.

Leary snickered. "I find it humorous that you say that when restrained to your seat. What might you do to stop us?"

To that, I had no answer. The doctor was right; what could I do but sit there and make threats until it was too late? Possibly for the first time in my life, I was overcome by a feeling of complete and utter helplessness. I could do nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Leary must have seen the expression on my face, because, through the heavy white sheen created by the lights, I thought I saw him smile.

"You're accustomed to having your way," he said, sounding almost accusatory. "You always get what you want, when you want it. You have people fawning over you, hanging on your every word, wishing they could be in your place. I wonder, quite often, really, what that is like." Shaking his head, the man turned to Miracle, who was holding an opaque box, the contents of which I could not see. He dug through the container, pulling out a small vial of clear liquid and examining it before continuing.

"It's strange,” the doctor mused, "how someone so inept can be so well-liked. In a perfect world, geniuses would be loved, not"—he gestured in my direction—"anarchistic teenagers who scrape by on good looks and charisma alone."

I made an indignant sound in the back of my throat.

"You can be the smartest being on Earth, Leary," I hissed, "but only humans can be geniuses. And you have no morals, no compassion; so how can you be considered a human?"

After a pause, during which he pulled a nasty looking syringe from Miracle's box, Leary responded. "Feelings are trivial," he mumbled, waving a dismissive hand, "and the humans are a worthless species."

Bristling, I turned my head away to stare at the white walls surrounding me. It alleviated some of the pressure from my eyes, but none from my mind. A part of me—most of me—wanted to throttle Leary right then and there. Since he'd first presented himself earlier that morning, just after I'd been brought to the white room, he'd stayed infuriatingly calm. No matter what I threw at him, he only gave me an absent response. I got the feeling that his mind was not quite in this world; he was obviously very smart, but seemed to have a somewhat dissociative personality that shielded him from reality. And, it made it impossible to get him angry, no matter how scathing a remark I insulted him with.

"How could you say that?" I spat. "How could you call humans worthless, when you are one yourself?"

The doctor blinked. "Human? I haven't been human for quite a while. No, I am much, much better than a human."

"You're delusional," I said from between clenched teeth.

"No, I'm not," Leary disagreed, approaching me with the scalpel and the syringe. "I'm quite lusional, actually. Now, if you'd just hold s—"

"Do you hear the words coming out of your mouth?" I interrupted, angling my body out of his reach. "You're insane, Leary. Absolutely insane."

In response, the man grabbed the side of my head and pulled it back to the center of the headrest with surprising strength. I grunted as my wrists were pinched by the cuffs.

"You see it that way only now. I am neither insane, nor delusional—nor am I human. Neither is Miracle, or even Nessa. Caleb, no one in this city is human, with the exception of you and your friends. We are advanced, improved. And soon, you will be too."

I was unable to hide the shudder that slid icily down my body. Dread filled every cavity of my body, and I felt nauseous. Words from Miracle's proposition drifted in and out of my mind, instantly spurring a headache.

I'll let you see your brother again, Caleb.

"Now, we will begin this operation with bone and muscle reformation." Leary stood over me, holding the vial in one hand and the syringe in the other. "It's best to do this while you are still in your younger form, because your body is more pliable."

No, I'm not lying. I would never lie to you.

"I'm afraid it will still be painful, because in order for the formula to take effect, it must run its course while you are still conscious. I'll give you something to numb the pain, though it never does seem to work properly." I stiffened fearfully as Leary opened my mouth with his gloved hands and poured the tasteless contents of the vial down my throat.

However, you still committed a crime, so the opportunity will not be without a catch.

Immediately, I felt my body begin to go numb. A heavy feeling deadened my limbs and made my tongue thick in my mouth. Leary, his face swimming in front of my eyes, said, "All right, now I'm going to inject the serum into your blood stream. You won't feel anything at first, but...I suggest you brace yourself." There was a small prick in the crook of my left arm.

Really, it isn't a big deal. You'll be able to see your brother again, on one condition...

First, there was only a light tickling sensation across my body, as if tiny moths were beating their wings beneath my skin. Then it became an itching, one my bound hands could not scratch. My mind, which had been foggy only moments before, was suddenly sharp with the sensation. The irritating itch quickly intensified, becoming a sting that I swear I could feel in my blood. It grew and grew and grew, until it overcame all of my senses, sending me into a hazy, removed state. The inside of my body was shifting, moving, changing; I felt my bones growing, snapping, reforming, my muscles stretching and tearing. My eyes, though forced open, saw only an agonizing darkness. And through it all, through the sudden, overwhelming, all-consuming pain, I heard Miracle's sugary voice.

All you have to do is become a Superior.

I threw back my head and screamed.

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A/N: Bah this is rushed but I have to go to bed so I hurried through it but I hope it's still okay and goodnight!