Number Four

After

It was after the others returned that her turn came. As she was lead down the hall, Four tried to keep her nervousness under control.

"Don't worry." One soothed her with a hand on her back. "You're not in trouble."

Doctor Brenner and a couple of others were waiting in the training room they entered. As she stepped inside, Four was approached by a female orderly who set about taping wires to her head and chest.

"Good afternoon, Four. " Doctor Brenner said pleasantly. "How are you?"

"Good."

"Good. Now," He spoke as the female orderly stepped back. "We're just going to try something." The second orderly stepped into place opposite her, some distance away. "Quite simply," Brenner spoke. "Could you put him to sleep?"

"...Why?" Four asked.

"We just want to see you do it."

Four bit. "But why? Why asleep? Why him?"

"Just try it, Four." Brenner said, stepping away with the others. "We just want you to try."

And so, she tried. Eyes lazer-focused on her target; dig down, find the right feeling and push it out, onto him; make him believe it. Sleepy thoughts, sleepy thoughts. It wasn't working. She could feel their eyes on her, watching, expectant. Blood raced behind her eyes. Her skin prickled in agitation. Why wasn't it working? The room was too white, too sterile and bare. Why were they singling her out anyway? There was no way she wasn't in trouble for last night. Something was beeping in time with her heart; she could hear it pounding in her head, faster and faster, every second recorded. Her eyes burned in frustration; pressure building in her head, in her mind. Why couldn't she make it work?!

"Stop, stop! It's the beeping, she's panicking!" One rushed forward, yanking the wires from her and smoothing his hands calmingly down her sides. Taking Four by the shoulders, he looked into her eyes. "Look at me. Look at me. You're alright. Breathe. Just breathe." Moments later, he asked. "Better?" She nodded, calmed.

Trailing his fingers down her arms, he took her hands. "Why don't we try a different approach?" He ignored Brenner's blatant disapproval of his interruption as he drew her in closer to the man. "Can you tell what he's feeling now?"

Slowly, Four nodded. Then chuckled, heads together almost conspiratorially as they spoke between each other. "He's annoyed- he's annoyed at me; he doesn't see the point in being here."

Doctor Brenner shot the man a sharp look at that.

One just smiled. "Let's work our way up. Could you... make him happy?"

Four swallowed; but nodded. She focused her mind. Be happy. What made her happy, she idly wondered. Cake; Eleven's face when she had rolled about on the floor; the feeling of his warm hands on hers. That was the feeling. She pushed that out towards the man.

Immediately she could see the difference; the man was positively chipper. It was subtle, nothing out of the ordinary, but compared to how he had seemed before it was a vast change in mood; the kind of happiness that puffs up a person, makes them so inherently likeable and grand. And amenable, when required. Despite herself, Four thought about how humourous he looked, grinning away like that, and in a split second, he broke out into contagious peels of laughter.

Giggling, Four shared a look with One. "Now try sadness." He said.

Now she had gotten into it, this one came easy. The man's face immediately fell; his eyes and lips sinking, turning down low and lost. He curled into himself, arms wrapped around his body; tears threatening to spill in his eyes. Leaning back against the wall, he sunk down onto the floor, head clutched in his hands.

"Four..." Brenner warned.

One's eyes were positively alight, drinking it all in, fixated. "Now try... Fear."

The man was a puppet in her hands. She watched as he rose from the floor, only to look around at the barren walls in fright, like any moment they would close in; shying back away from them all, feet shifting in fight or flight. His eyes were blown wide, like a rabbit in the headlights; as he forced open his trembling mouth, either to speak or scream, One spoke again, like an executioner swinging his axe.

"Now... make him sleep." Turning, he called out to the others. "Someone come catch him, he's going to fall!"

As the others rushed to the collapsed man, One pulled out a stark white handkerchief, and gently mopped the blood from Four's eyes.

A/N: I'm genuinely not sure if this is good - it was sooo good in my head, and then by the time I got around to writing it, it stopped working for some reason. I may come back and rework it later. Anyway, hopefully it's enjoyable! Please do like it if you liked it and feel free to leave a comment!