Experiment 68

Chapter 2

The tree appeared in his line of sight. He observes the words,'My name is Max' etched into the bark. This is my only sign of identity. This tree; and these walls define my existence. Today he brought down one deer to offer as a gift to the other soul stuck here. He leaves me food in my side of the forest and I do the same for him. My mother taught me this when I was very young. Treat others like you want to be treated... I can still picture her face in my dreams. Her long raven hair fluttering in the breeze, her sharp grey eyes piercing everything she looked at. Just by picturing the woman she had been made his posture relax. His breathing slowed as he observed the tree.

It's my fault... Max thought as he tilted his head upward towards the apex of the branches. As quickly as the euphoric feeling had manifested it disappeared. The tree was a reminder of his failure to protect the people he loved. Max sat down on the ground against the trunk of the fated tree. He stared at the underbrush in front of him. The twigs were broken in a familiar pattern. Experiment 67 had been to the tree earlier that day. For as long as he could remember, this was the signal for him and the other Experiment to meet. Something was wrong.

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Why was Max still at the tree? Victoria wondered at she stared at the screen. Experiment 68 had sat down on the simulated forest floor. Her mind raced, attempting to find a solution for the current situation. His heart rate was not elevated, so he was not injured. Was his blood sugar low? "Father," I inquired while standing," Did we implant a health band into Experiment 68?"
He looked up from the screen beside me," No."
I puffed out an angry breath.
"I cant track him right now because he is doing nothing."
I slumped back into the hard, unforgiving chair oreinted at my desk. I peered back at my computer screen. The screen showed an average sized tree in a forest. Nothing else of significance was present.
"I lost a visual on 68!" My palms began to sweat as I typed erratically on the keyboard. Screen upon screen flickered across my vision. The forest, the meadow, the clearing... I couldn't have this happen now. My father would be so dissapointed in me. I leaned my body over the computer screen, attempting to hide the subpar images.
"Victoria?" my father questioned," You arent writing anything."
I froze and stared at my father. My right hand moved to pick up the fountain pen lying prostate on the legal pad. I slipped my clammy fingers around the body of the pen. Now slowly and softly Veronica... I swung my arm up to my father's face, and jabbed the sharp side against his undereye.
He cursed while his right hand flew with almost inhuman speed towards my right hand. I dropped the pen in fear and flinched as I heard it make a satisfying clink on the tile. My father grabbed my right hand and twisted it at an unnatural angle. My adrenalin pumped as I frantically searched for a solution. He kept twisting until my hand prickled in pain.
"Stop," I whimpered," You're hurting me."
The only thing I heard back was a inhuman growl. As my hand twisted still farther black spots flew across my vision. Hit him in the groin.... I struggled as my vision began to disappear. Suddenly, John flew into the control room.
"What is going on here?" my future husband demanded.
My father returned to his almost stony facial appearance as quickly as he took his hands off me. I ran towards John, my shoes slapping the floor in an undignified fashion. He held his muscular arms open as I ran straight into his embrace.
"Get him to let us leave," I hissed into his right ear. My pulse elevated as I remembered the hopeless feeling of earlier.
"You are excused," my father bit back as he watched John and I leave, hands entwined.

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After exiting the computer filled space, I started to cry. Eventually, tears ran down my grief strucken face at perfect intervals. John stepped closer to me and leaned into my face.
"Dont worry about your place in the world,"he whispered," You mean much to me."
I couldn't get my emotions under control. John tipped my chin up so my eyes stared into his kind brown orbs. My eyes sparkled as two more tears dripped down my face. John tenderly wiped them away.
"I will free you from your fathers tyranny," he promised," After the wedding, we will be in control. You can do what you want. You can be who you want.
You can even love who you want."
I glanced across his face wondering at his sudden love. He stared back at me before bringing me close to his body. I felt his heart beat beneath his chest. I breathed in once, then again. The combined scents of pine and rose on his jacket overwhelmed my nose. We embraced slowly like two small children first discovering each other for the first time. For the first time I felt as if I had control over my life.

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"Max?" a deep, masculine voice hissed through the woods.
I walked slowly through the bushes, careful not to disturb anything living.
"Max!"
I grab my hunting knife from my belt. The thick blade is perfect for slicing anything. The bushes contract before revealing the other Experiment.
"Why didn't you answer me?" The older man questioned as he stepped from the undergrowth.
"This is your side of the forest," I explained," What if you were hunting? The kill would be lost."
Experiment 67 dragged on," Today is extremely important. This development will be the most important discovery I've made since they locked me up here."
"What?" I asked, unbelieving.
"I think I know how to communicate with our captors."