Specimen

“Sten,” I reply, and he raises an eyebrow at me. “It’s an acronym for Seven Two Eight Nine.”

He chuckles and leans in closer to me.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve been named after her cat.”

I grin even as I fight to ask him if he knows what his real name is. Somehow, I don’t think he does. I’m getting the impression that something is very different about the treatments I have received, and I wonder if that’s why I have the dreams.

The other specimen and doctor step forward, and Riley introduces me to them.

“This is specimen forty-two,” she says. “His doctor is Helen McCall.”

“Pike,” he says as he shakes my hand. He’s taller than me by several inches with dark hair and eyes like mine.

“Are you seeing any adverse effects from your deviations?” Dr. McCall asks Riley.

I scowl at her. I don’t like the tone of her voice.

“Nothing that wasn’t expected,” Riley says in clipped words.

“I’ll definitely be on the lookout for any surprises,” Dr. McCall says. “This is an important exercise, one that will mimic their first real assignment. If all my work is jeopardized because you can’t follow protocol, I’ll take it up with Captain Mills.”

“Captain Mills is well aware of the steps I’ve taken,” Riley replies.

“Probably bribed,” Dr. McCall mutters under her breath as she walks away, but I don’t think Riley heard her.

“What’s with her?” I narrow my eyes in Dr. McCall’s direction.

“Ignore it,” Riley says. “She’s been pissed since med school about a grant I won and has always had it out for me. She’s looking for any way to discredit me, but you don’t need to concern yourself with that.”

She touches my wrist and runs her fingers up the inside of my left arm.

“Nothing for you to worry about,” she says again.

I nod and relax.

We’re loaded into the helicopter, and I take in the view as we rise into the air and over the city. Though there is information about the city of Milton and its layout already in my head, seeing it is completely different. I can see the destruction of outlying areas. There’s data in my head regarding the attacks by the Carson Alliance against the city of Milton, and I can identify those areas that have never been restored.

Everything is very…grey.

The sky is grey. The buildings are grey. There’s no green area at all—just building after building after building surrounded by cement and steel. A single flag appears on top of some of the buildings, and it is also primarily grey. I know the flag. It represents the Mills Conglomerate and displays a black-and-white image of a circuit board across the back and a bright red medical symbol in the center. Aside from that small splash of red, everything else is dull and nondescript.

The helicopter flight is a short one, and soon we are descending into the center of Mills Sanctuary Four, the primary military establishment in a five-hundred-mile radius. As we lower into the compound, I watch several dozen uniformed troops head to the edge of the city and fan out along the nearby streets.

We exit the helicopter and head straight for a small platform set up like a stage. Captain Mills and the uniformed men join a few other military-types on the stage as the doctors gather with their specimens.

“All right,” Riley says as she steps in front of me. “This is going to be a little different for you, but think of it as being in the virtual center. Instead of having images and sounds created in your head, this will give you the tactical information you’ll need for the training exercise.”

I nod and turn my head to the side so she can reach me better. I brace myself as Riley pulls a small disk out and places her fingers against the side of my head. To my right and left, I can see the other doctors and other specimens doing the same thing.

“Ready?” Riley asks, and I nod. She places the disk up behind my right ear. She holds it there for a few seconds and then takes it away.

Inside my head, there is a brief surge of information. I understand that I have been given command of the mission. Isaac will cover tactical, and Pike will be responsible for defense. I close my eyes for a moment to process it all and then look to the other men. Isaac nods at me, but Pike doesn’t look my way.

“You’ll be on your own during this,” Riley says. “You’ll be able to communicate with me every step of the way, just like in the simulator, but it will just be the three of you.”

Captain Mills steps up to the lectern at the center of the stage, and the rest of us gather around. A vibration runs through my arms and legs; I’m anxious to get started.

“Gentlemen,” Mills says, “this is nothing more than a glorified version of capture the flag. The map is already loaded, and you should have no trouble locating your objective, but there will be some challenges along the way.”