Waters of Lethe, Book 2

49. Programmed

Hooked On A Feeling by Blue Swede woke me up.

White light burned behind my eyelids. I wanted to open my eyes, wanted to see where the music was coming from. At first, it annoyed me. After a few seconds, I found the music relaxing, almost carefree and untroubled. The light, however, was something I didn't know if I could deal with. Even with my eyes closed, it threatened to give me a headache.

When you hold me 

In your arms so tight 

You let me know

 Everything's all right 

 I'm hooked on a feeling 

I'm high on believing 

That you're in love with me

A man was singing along with the music, humming, beating on something hard to match the drums in the song. The drums and the man's beating were like thunder in my ears, bringing me back, remembering that Scott had shot me twice in the leg and three times with a stun gun. And I remembered I called Audi, remembered that he was coming, remembered that Scott said they'd be ready for whoever was coming to rescue me. Rescue all of us.

Lips as sweet as candy

Its taste is on my mind

Girl, you got me thirsty

For another cup of wine

I was paying attention to the music when I heard footsteps approach me, which made me open my eyes. The bright fluorescent bulbs that hung over me were the first thing I saw, which meant I was on a bed. Or in a chair.

"Wakey, wakey, you little bitch," Scott said to me. He was the one who was beside me now. When I heard him pull apart Velcro, I forced my eyes open again.

Squinting, I saw him beside me. His tall frame was bent down to reach me. He had a white cuff in his hands, a restraint, getting ready to do something with it. Another cuff was between his knees, as his hands were full with the first restraint.

"You're the first one who's come here that has needed extra attention," he told me as he hooked the first restraint around my wrist. Why couldn't I move? "It's alright, though," he told me. "We'll get you fixed up again. Might need a couple of more Lethe sessions, but you'll be an asset to us in the long run."

Realizing I was holding my breath, I exhaled. "Lethe?" I asked. My voice was hoarse and weak, but energy was coming back to me with every passing second. If he just kept me conscious for a few more minutes...

"Waters of Lethe," Scott told me as he moved around me to fasten the other restraint. I really hoped he didn't think these Velcro things would hold me down. Then again, I hope he did.

I looked from him to what was in front of me. I was laid back in one of the dentist chairs they had in the brain monitoring room while people worked around me. Someone else was in the other chair that was ten feet away from me, but I couldn't tell who it was.

Scott continued to sing. "I'm hooked on a feeling. I'm high on believing... That you're in love with me..."

People around me were talking amongst themselves, to each other, about me and the other person who was strapped to the other chair in the room. I tried focusing on them instead of Scott's annoying, wrong singing.

Someone was giving directions to another person regarding the person in the other chair. "Have an anxiolytic ready for when he wakes up. He's questionable."

"Are we doing the girl or the guy first?" someone asked.

It wasn't until Scott answered that I realized the person was talking to him. "I want to do the guy first. Let's let El watch us work our magic. Plus," he pondered, "I don't think she'll want to miss it."