The dinner announcement came as something utterly unexpected. Rather than Harrington's excited tones, the calm accented voice of the General drifted through the intercom speakers
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Rita had spent much of the day alone with her thoughts, looking over the bulletin, or updating her notes. Perhaps she could have learned more by approaching more people, but she simply didn't feel like it. She'd spent so much time meeting new people over the last few days that it seemed to be about time for a break from people, anyway. For someone who lived as a hermit for so long, the amount of socializing she had to do at Landel's got tiring at times.
When the shift change came, she quietly stood and began to make her way to the patient rooms, paying little attention to the soldier who silently joined and walked beside her. This was all just an annoyingly repetitive routine by now.
... But tonight was different. When she entered her room, Rita found a nurse waiting for her. There was some kind of short exchange between her and the soldier, more with gestures than words, and suddenly Rita was grabbed sharply by the arms.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing!?" she shrieked, squirming in the soldier's grip. She kicked at his shins, but he didn't seem particularly fazed by it. The nurse moved quickly, grabbing Rita's wrist to steady her arm. Brandishing a syringe, the woman began the injection. Everything happened so quickly that Rita couldn't tell what was happening until she looked down to see the needle stuck in her arm.
"You've been selected for drug trials," the soldier informed her, his grip unyielding. "You'll be rewarded for your participation." Rita could only stare in horror as the unknown liquid vanished into her arm.
Panic welled up in her, and soon she was struggling again, now with more desperation than ever. "You've got to be kidding!" she snapped. "I didn't volunteer for this! Let me go already!" She was released then, but only because the injection was complete. The soldier shoved her deep into the room, allowing a moment for himself and the nurse to exit. The door locked behind them.
At some point in the struggle, Rita's notebook had fallen to the floor, but she didn't give it a second look. She stumbled over to her bed, sat down on the edge, and held up her arm, staring at the tiny red spot left by the needle. Her body was trembling.
They injected her with something. Those drugs... those drugs that made people hallucinate, that could drive her crazy for anywhere from one night to the rest of her life. What was going to happen to her!?
Kairi walked down the hallway towards her room in a relatively happy mood. After all, Riku was back, and she was not only wandering around with him tonight, but with Sora as well. She had also gotten to speak to Kratos more, and had been able to take a shower. All in all, a good day -
Until, as she neared the room, she heard the sound of struggle within, and instantly bolted away from her soldier's side, hearing him call out behind her. She reached the door quickly -
but it was too late. By that time, whatever had happened to Rita had been completed, the door slamming shut as they closed. Eyes wide, she instantly opened the door, her escort close behind, but she didn't care. Moving towards her roommate as the soldier placed her food on her desk and quietly left, Kairi bent down to pick up the fallen notebook and move towards Rita, sitting down on the bed next to her, concern clear on her pale face.
"Are you okay?" she asked in a whispered voice, frowning. "I- I heard you from down the hall, but I couldn't get here fast enough. I'm sorry. What did they do to you?"
Panic flooded her. Was Rita to be taken for MU? She couldn't remember how they had gotten her to the small room, but had it been like this? She hoped not. Please, she pleaded to whoever was listening, please let her be okay!
Rita wasn't used to being comforted by others, and when Kairi sat close to her, she pulled her arms in closer to herself. She was still in shock, and her face was flushed from frustration at her inability to protect herself.
"They... injected me with something. They said it was part of their drug trials." She took a few deep breaths, then faced Kairi with a bitter expression. "Looks like they aren't voluntary anymore." Damn it... Were they eavesdropping when Rita was talking with Furudo? Did they hear her say how stupid it was to volunteer to be an experiment, and then decide to force her instead?!
Unforgivable. No matter what happened to Rita, she was going to find the ones responsible for this humiliation, and she was going to rip them to pieces.
Injected her with something? Kairi's face paled slightly at those words, frowning. What was going to happen? Last night they had been only if you wanted them - but now it seemed ... different. Now Rita had been forced to take the injection. What next?
"Are you going to be okay?" she asked her in a hushed voice, frowning. "Are you traveling around tonight with someone? Maybe it's better to stay in, that way you can ... be safe." She didn't know what kind of reaction Rita was going to have, especially considering Riku had said he had taken the drugs (by choice) and nothing had happened. Maybe ... nothing would happen.
Still, she didn't want to say that. If Rita went thinking that nothing was going to happen and suddenly something did, she was going to ... feel horrible.
Kairi was being kind to her, but Rita was too distressed to show any appreciation for it. What she needed right now wasn't kindness, it was a solution. Whatever was done to her, she needed to do something about it.
"I'm fine. I'll figure something out," she replied hastily, jumping to her feet and grabbing her backpack from her possessions. She opened it and pulled out a bunch of bananas and a box of crackers, then sat back down on her bed, ripping the cracker box open. "Like hell I'm staying in. I might as well sit down and quietly agree to be their test subject." There were few things Rita hated more than complacency. She shoved a handful of crackers into her mouth, defiantly.
There wasn't anything she could do before night besides trying to get her strength up, however. Rita's body was already small, and if she let herself stay hungry and weak, the drug would have a stronger, faster-acting effect, most likely. That was how those kinds of things usually worked...
When the shift change came, she quietly stood and began to make her way to the patient rooms, paying little attention to the soldier who silently joined and walked beside her. This was all just an annoyingly repetitive routine by now.
... But tonight was different. When she entered her room, Rita found a nurse waiting for her. There was some kind of short exchange between her and the soldier, more with gestures than words, and suddenly Rita was grabbed sharply by the arms.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing!?" she shrieked, squirming in the soldier's grip. She kicked at his shins, but he didn't seem particularly fazed by it. The nurse moved quickly, grabbing Rita's wrist to steady her arm. Brandishing a syringe, the woman began the injection. Everything happened so quickly that Rita couldn't tell what was happening until she looked down to see the needle stuck in her arm.
"You've been selected for drug trials," the soldier informed her, his grip unyielding. "You'll be rewarded for your participation." Rita could only stare in horror as the unknown liquid vanished into her arm.
Panic welled up in her, and soon she was struggling again, now with more desperation than ever. "You've got to be kidding!" she snapped. "I didn't volunteer for this! Let me go already!" She was released then, but only because the injection was complete. The soldier shoved her deep into the room, allowing a moment for himself and the nurse to exit. The door locked behind them.
At some point in the struggle, Rita's notebook had fallen to the floor, but she didn't give it a second look. She stumbled over to her bed, sat down on the edge, and held up her arm, staring at the tiny red spot left by the needle. Her body was trembling.
They injected her with something. Those drugs... those drugs that made people hallucinate, that could drive her crazy for anywhere from one night to the rest of her life. What was going to happen to her!?
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Until, as she neared the room, she heard the sound of struggle within, and instantly bolted away from her soldier's side, hearing him call out behind her. She reached the door quickly -
but it was too late. By that time, whatever had happened to Rita had been completed, the door slamming shut as they closed. Eyes wide, she instantly opened the door, her escort close behind, but she didn't care. Moving towards her roommate as the soldier placed her food on her desk and quietly left, Kairi bent down to pick up the fallen notebook and move towards Rita, sitting down on the bed next to her, concern clear on her pale face.
"Are you okay?" she asked in a whispered voice, frowning. "I- I heard you from down the hall, but I couldn't get here fast enough. I'm sorry. What did they do to you?"
Panic flooded her. Was Rita to be taken for MU? She couldn't remember how they had gotten her to the small room, but had it been like this? She hoped not. Please, she pleaded to whoever was listening, please let her be okay!
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"They... injected me with something. They said it was part of their drug trials." She took a few deep breaths, then faced Kairi with a bitter expression. "Looks like they aren't voluntary anymore." Damn it... Were they eavesdropping when Rita was talking with Furudo? Did they hear her say how stupid it was to volunteer to be an experiment, and then decide to force her instead?!
Unforgivable. No matter what happened to Rita, she was going to find the ones responsible for this humiliation, and she was going to rip them to pieces.
Reply
"Are you going to be okay?" she asked her in a hushed voice, frowning. "Are you traveling around tonight with someone? Maybe it's better to stay in, that way you can ... be safe." She didn't know what kind of reaction Rita was going to have, especially considering Riku had said he had taken the drugs (by choice) and nothing had happened. Maybe ... nothing would happen.
Still, she didn't want to say that. If Rita went thinking that nothing was going to happen and suddenly something did, she was going to ... feel horrible.
Reply
"I'm fine. I'll figure something out," she replied hastily, jumping to her feet and grabbing her backpack from her possessions. She opened it and pulled out a bunch of bananas and a box of crackers, then sat back down on her bed, ripping the cracker box open. "Like hell I'm staying in. I might as well sit down and quietly agree to be their test subject." There were few things Rita hated more than complacency. She shoved a handful of crackers into her mouth, defiantly.
There wasn't anything she could do before night besides trying to get her strength up, however. Rita's body was already small, and if she let herself stay hungry and weak, the drug would have a stronger, faster-acting effect, most likely. That was how those kinds of things usually worked...
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