Collateral

The central lab is a big room, in the middle stands a single hospital bed. It reminds Rose more of a ripper doc’s surgery than a hospital or lab setting. The room is filled with futuristic machines. An array of cameras and other measuring devices are pointed at the hospital bed. Dr Hall gestures to the bed. “please take a seat.”

Rose points at the cameras. Are those really necessary?

“We are doing a scientific experiment here, all data is important. The more data, the better.”

Rose sits down, feeling strangely exposed.

The doctor rolls a tray to the bed with some medical equipment on it. “Now, Sidney, can you please be a dear and remove your jacket and sweater?

Rose reluctantly removes both clothing items. She shivers. It is very cold in the lab.

“Can you remove your long-sleeved blouse too?”

Rose looks at him. “Do I have to?” She looks back at the two guards that are standing near the entrance of the room. “Does it have to be in front of them?”

“I can assure you that it is nothing they haven’t seen before. Please remove your blouse, Sidney. I have to implant a device in your upper arm. That would be hard if your arm is covered in cloth.”

Rose sighs and removes her long-sleeved blouse, exposing her bra. One of the guards watches Rose, his face in a creepy smile. But maybe it is a good thing the guards are distracted by her chest, Taking the attention from her gun she sneaks under the mattress of the hospital bed.

The doctor gestures to the scar on Rose’s left arm. “How did you get that scar? Did you use to have a cybernetic device there?”

“I did. I had it removed.”

“Why.”

“Didn’t work right.”

“Ok.” The doctor scribbles down some notes.

“And this scar?” The doctor points at the scar on Rose’s back. “How did you get that?”

“I fell from an escalator. Is this really necessary?”

“All medical background information is important.”

“If you say so.”

“Have any other old injuries or scars.”

“No.”

“Well, if you will be so kind as to also remove your shoes and socks.”

“Why?”

“Are you gonna sleep with them on?”

“Of course not. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, before I implant the device, we need to strap you to the bed. Some patients tend to be, erratic after we implant the device. We wouldn’t want you to go crazy and damage some of the devices here, would you?”

“No way you are tying me to this bed.”

“You signed the contract, Sidney, we can do to you whatever we want. So I give you a choice. Either I just tie you down now, or I have these who guard holding you down while I do so.”

Memories of her father holding her to a bed when the ripper doc ties her down flash through Rose’s mind. “Just tie me up. I won’t resist.”

“That’s what I thought.”

After strapping her in, The doctor holds up a cylindric metal device. He injects something into Rose’s upper arm, and her arm goes numb. Then he carefully cuts open her upper arm and implants the cylinder. All this he does in full silence.

“Ok, all done.”

“All done? That is all you have to say?”

“It is. Good night. I am going home now. I’ll send someone to check on you in a couple of hours.”

And with those words he and the two guards leave the room.

Rose looks around. The cameras aimed at her exposed body seem to be stinging her. No way she is going to be able to sleep. She shrugs. At least this time when she is strapped down to a hospital bed, she is wearing pants. It could be worse.

She feels strangely energized. Even tho she is in a dark room, and it is late, and she didn’t get lots of sleep last night. Yet she stays awake. This was a really bad idea. Maybe she should have just climbed up the elevator shaft. Was obviously better than this. What was she thinking?

She keeps thinking. She hopes Ellie goes to bed on time. Rose left Ellie alone before, but never this long. She shouldn’t worry. Ellie is a responsible girl, she can take care of herself.

Can she tho? Yesterday, she broke her arm. Correction, Finn did. And did she get help? No. She walked around with a broken arm and planned to get revenge on him.

Rose sighs again. Can she really blame her tho? Didn’t she do the exact same thing when she was chasing that lady with the AI implant? She was slowly bleeding out and still kept chasing her. Ellie was relentless. She got it from somewhere. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

The door opens, and from the corner of her eyes, she sees someone come in. She looks over, and a tall silhouette enters. The silhouette flicks the light switch, and suddenly, the room is filled with a bright light. When her eyes adapt to the light, she recognises the man that entered. He speaks with a deep voice.

“Hello, Rose, my sweet daughter. Long time no see.”