The Experiment by Christopher Costanza Page A

The terminology alone made it as if I were writing down another language. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was one of the reasons he chose someone like me. My ignorance made me invaluable to him, not to mention no one would question a missing member of the military division that was swept away by the head of the science team…
    That had to be why I was here and why he’d trust me with so much. I could easily be disposed of without question and didn’t understand most of what I saw or heard… I was an object to be used, just like the people on the tables. And once he was done with me I’d probably share the same fate…
    Everyone else had left quite some time ago and I was starting to feel exhausted. I had purposely turned my back away from the table so I wouldn’t have to look at the man lying there with blood dripping down the sides of his head. I was so upset I could barely concentrate on what Horus was saying.
    On several occasions I had to ask him to repeat things… Luckily he didn’t seem to mind or suspect anything from my behavior.
    Eventually he stood up and said “Ok Atlas, that’s enough for tonight. You did a great job; it’s exactly what I need… Now go on and get some rest and I’ll see you first thing in the morning. I’ve still got some work to do.”
    I forced myself to say “Ok, have a good night, see you tomorrow” and walked out.
    I couldn’t wait to get out of there and as I headed back to my room I began to feel sick again. If my stomach wasn’t completely empty I would have definitely thrown up.
    I was starving, but there was no way I could eat. I was too depressed, heartbroken, and angry, all at the same time... Even though I was exhausted I didn’t know how I’d be able to sleep. Especially knowing Horus was still in his lab torturing that defenseless man while I stood by and did nothing…
    That night, I passed the hours trying to think of a way to help them. I thought that maybe I could get some others who felt the same way I did to fight back against what’s happening... But it was too risky; if I said something to the wrong person it was all over.
    And I could clearly see that most of the team didn’t care… They were indifferent and even excited, just like Horus…
    I couldn’t help but wonder what Sara was doing right now… How she was feeling, what she was thinking. Was she going through what I was?... Was she able to sleep or was she trying to think of a way to do something?
    Even though I didn’t know her well, from what I did know, I had a feeling she felt exactly the same way… Probably a lot worse due to her circumstances…
    I hadn’t seen or heard from Kayin since we arrived. He’s probably down on X-451 right now. I wonder what he’s doing… He probably doesn’t even know what’s happening yet...
    I knew he of all people wouldn’t be ok with this… I just needed to talk to someone about this… Anyone…
    There was nothing in my life I had ever wanted more than to wake up in the stasis capsule, only to realize this was all just a horrible dream…

Chapter 6
    A fter hours of tossing and turning I was nowhere near being tired. My mind wouldn’t stop racing, even for a moment.
    No matter how I looked at my situation, I couldn’t see a way out. I couldn’t see a way to help any of the natives either and I knew things were only going to get worse for them…
    Just as I was about to erupt in emotion there was a knock on the door. It was so quiet in my room and my mind was so frantic, it sounded more like claps of thunder… It actually made me jump.
    I froze with the fear of thinking it might be Horus… I could feel my eyes widen and my heart pounding as I stared at the door.
    Was this my new life? A simple knock on the door and I’m immediately overcome with fear…
    Whoever it was knocked again…
    Then I realized it was the middle of night, it couldn’t be Horus. So I got up and opened the door.
    There was no one there so I stepped out and looked