Strangely enough, the smell was what first alerted Soma to the change of surroundings. The difference was subtle but unmistakable, the dry, sterile scent of the laboratory far more familiar to her than that of the institute. For the briefest of instants, she was certain she had returned to her own world. It had all been a dream, and now she was going to wake up, and the HRL's finest researchers would run one last set of diagnostics before she was free to go. Except
( ... )
Awake, was she? And calm about the whole thing -- though that shouldn't be surprising, given her past experience. What a novelty it was, to have a test subject who didn't immediately start giving demands and making threats. If she continued so cooperative, that would certainly help his work.
The doctor glanced back down at the displays before him, double checking the readings, but everything was still within the expected parameters. Excellent. All set, then. He picked up his tablet and moved over to stand beside the table on which she lay, his expression almost impossible to read behind the visor that covered his eyes.
"No lingering headache, I trust?" he asked, though his tone made it more of a statement and his attention was more on the readout than the actual person. People could lie or make mistakes, after all; only the instruments could be trusted. "If not, we should be ready to begin."
The doctor's voice carried clearly through the glass. His figure was barely visible beyond the harsh glare of the lights, but she caught a glimpse of a grey headpiece over his eyes. So they were at least capable of this level of technology, although that was hardly surprising given their ability to snatch people from what seemed to be countless worlds and universes.
No, it was highly likely they had deliberately chosen this setup in order to evoke certain emotions. As it was, she felt no fear--if indeed that was what they had wanted--only quiet anticipation.
"None," she said, her voice returning rapidly to the flat tone she had always used before. The idea occurred to her that Senna, Meche, and Hokuto would surely notice when she failed to appear, but it was a faint and distant one, and she didn't dwell on it. After all, this was just another experiment, and if it resulted in improvement, she had little room for complaint.
Even better, even better. If only her attitude would spread to the others in this place -- the experiments were so much easier when he didn't have to deal with the threats and the fighting. Restraints, whether physical or chemical, would always interfere with the purity of the work. This one wasn't even trying to argue, much less escape
( ... )
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The doctor glanced back down at the displays before him, double checking the readings, but everything was still within the expected parameters. Excellent. All set, then. He picked up his tablet and moved over to stand beside the table on which she lay, his expression almost impossible to read behind the visor that covered his eyes.
"No lingering headache, I trust?" he asked, though his tone made it more of a statement and his attention was more on the readout than the actual person. People could lie or make mistakes, after all; only the instruments could be trusted. "If not, we should be ready to begin."
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No, it was highly likely they had deliberately chosen this setup in order to evoke certain emotions. As it was, she felt no fear--if indeed that was what they had wanted--only quiet anticipation.
"None," she said, her voice returning rapidly to the flat tone she had always used before. The idea occurred to her that Senna, Meche, and Hokuto would surely notice when she failed to appear, but it was a faint and distant one, and she didn't dwell on it. After all, this was just another experiment, and if it resulted in improvement, she had little room for complaint.
"May I ask what you intend to do?"
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