Chapter 68

Monitoring Nicholas wasn't easy. The other GMNs felt their crisis level had gone up a notch. Nicholas who responded to both '4' and 'Nicholas' was mostly quiet and working 9 to the bone. It was like he controlled pretty much everything without even trying to. Even 9's aggression tempered in the presence of Nicholas. He gave out a laidback nonchalant but very dangerous vibe. They found themselves in a position where they felt they needed his opinion or input on even the most mundane of things. Sometimes it irked him, other times he just gave them a whatever nod and most times he flat-out ignored them.

3 had found himself discussing his concerns with 2 who repeatedly assured him that this was a personality problem not a problem with the procedure. Dr. Stone agreed with 2. The procedure was flawless and if he were a regular father, he'd be proud of his daughter. However, he avoided 4 more than before. It was like they both knew something but weren't saying anything. None of them seemed confrontational so they had no idea what was going on.

"I think we need to continue with the next procedure, " 3 said to 2

"I thought you wanted to wait until one of us dies" 2 replied.

For some reason 3 found 4 scary and even though he had gone through the theoretical procedure and 4's procedure footage he couldn't help but blame what he knew, science.

"No, just wanted to give it time but 6 is getting worse" 3 replied

"Oh," 2 said with an 'I see' look

"She's getting worse, really" 3 defended faced with 2's look.

2 just nodded and waited for him to continue. It was noticeable that 3 had been more attentive to 6. He was a "doctor" after all, 'her doctor'. He was always there through the aggression, tantrum, and hyperventilation; what are friends for right?

When 3 didn't say anything he continued.

"When do you plan?" 2 asked because 6 was getting worse. The mares, screams, and outbursts were doubling.

"As soon as possible. If we start prepping her, she should be ready latest the day after tomorrow." 3 replied and 2 nodded.

"I'll get Dr. Stone," 2 said and turned to go.

"Wait!" 3 said holding him by the arm. 2 turned to face him.

"You can't possibly think you can do this alone, especially this one" 2 replied and 3 let go.

The tension between 4 and Dr. Stone had been rubbing off on him. There was a reason and he didn't like not knowing.

On the other hand, he might not be able to do this alone and needed someone with expertise and experience.

"Fine"

"Focus on your patient and I'll take care of Dr. Stone. I'll make sure he is in line" 2 said with reassurance

3 wondered what he had over Dr. Stone but decided to leave it till everything was done.

He just let 2 walk away. As long as everything went smoothly. He had to find a way to tell 6 that she was going next.

He walked towards 6's room and wondered how he would find her today. She had been through a lot recently and it was like her memories that were coming in flashes were driving her insane. She was screaming in anger most of the time and exhausted the other times. It was pitiful to watch.

He knocked on the door but there was no response. He listened there was a faint heartbeat. He pushed open the door and entered. She was sitting on the foot of the bed with her legs raised to her chin and her head rested on it. She was looking at the white sheet of the bed.

"Hey" he called softly but there was no response, he moved closer and stood close to the bed.

"6?" He called but there was still no response. He stood quietly at the corner giving her time. She looked lost in thoughts.

He was about to call her again when she spoke.

"What if it doesn't work for me?" He wondered what she was talking about but then she continued. "What if instead of making me better it makes me worse."

"The procedure is full proof" 3 assured

"What if I am better without the procedure"

"Without the procedure, you will die"

There was a long pause before 6 sighed. She was subdued today compared to her aggressive hyperactive previous self.

"What I glimpse torments me and yet it's just flashes."

He knew she was scared by what happened to the others. 1 disappeared and 4 was…

"People are different "

"Will I be a person after?" It was a rhetorical question.

What they were questioned humanity. The procedure doesn't change that. It just brings back their memories and stops them from dying off. It doesn't change much.

"Humanity is a state of mind" he couldn't believe he was quoting 2, but that was all he got.

"And if I lose my mind?" She'd lose her humanity. Neither 1 nor 4 could be classified sane in its entirety.

Why was she trying to hold on to her invisible thread of humanity? She was afraid of what she'd be without it.

3 just looked at her. As depressing as this sounds, it was the longest sane conversation he had had with her since all this started.

"You have to make sure you don't" he replied but then was it in their control?

6 gave a scoff and then sighed. It was not up to her to decide whether or not to have the procedure. If she didn't, she'd die and she wanted to live.

"When will I have the procedure?"

"If we begin prepping today, you should be ready latest a day after tomorrow"

Again, did she have a choice?

"I know you are scared but trust me everything would be fine and I will be here after the procedure."

"Who will be there for you?" 6 asked and the question startled him. He had never stopped to think about that. As far as he knows he would probably be the last to undergo the procedure and if the next person was more individualistic than the last, then he was actually on his own.

"I'll deal," he said with a shrug. He would deal with that when the time comes but for now.

"I'm tired," 6 said more to herself and 3 was on his feet.

"How's your head? Do you need me to give you something to help you sleep?" He was already checking her temperature and whatnot. She looked at him sadly. This unique feeling she felt towards him may be suppressed by her memories later. What if she liked someone else before all this? In a way he was sad. Quiet, lonely, sad. He never asked for much. Never really asked for anything. She touched his hands.

"Thank you," she said heavily. There was a faint smile on the corner of her lips. Then it was gone. "I want to sleep" The tone was a clue that she was politely asking him to give her privacy, he took a deep breath and opened his mouth to say something. he had never seen her this subdued.

"Don't worry, I want to live" she said and he nodded with a small smile, he left.

6 sighed when he left. She could feel that he was still standing at the door. She needed time to mentally prepare herself before they started moving her up and down.

3 stood outside the door. To him, it was like he was saying goodbye to the person he knew, his colleague and friend; and waiting for whatever side comes up. He took a deep breath and finally walked away. He had to prepare.

Just as he predicted, 6 was on his table two days later. He stood over her staring at her. He had never had cause to open any one of them until … but then 4's procedure wasn't this hard.

"You can sit this one out," the head doctor said, After waiting for a while and no movement from the boy, he had doubts. It was always a mistake to be too attached to the patient. It is a disaster when the person doesn't recognise the said attachment.

"I"m fine," 3 said shaking his head. He wasn't going to leave her to anyone.

"You don't have to…" GMN-2 said and 3 shook his head. He wasn't willing to leave her in the hands of someone else. He took a deep breath and began the procedure.

Halfway through the procedure, there was mayhem. Her blood pressure and brain activity were going through the roof.

"We need to end this now or she'll go under," GMN-2 said. He had realized what was happening. Her memories were kicking in and she was not reacting well to it. They needed to get this done so she can assimilate without pressure from her body.

"Keep her stable, three more minutes," 3 said. His hands had never worked faster. He was done in less than that and had her closed up. Good thing her healing started immediately.

* * * * * *

Ruby didn't know it was possible to feel this gut-wrenching anger and hate. The torment was unbearable!

"You Monster!!!" She woke up screaming.

GMN-3 who had been in the room with her and had seen her struggle was still startled by the sound. It was so thunderous that it revibrated through the walls and he had to cover his ears. The scream alerted the entire building and beyond if possible that she was awake. Given the scream, they didn't bother coming close because the person who could handle her in whatever state she woke up in was already in the room with her. They just pitied his sensitive ears but it would heal.

3 had to act fast because the girl was already out of bed. He grabbed her hands but before he could talk, she sent him flying. He crashed through the wall into the next room. His response surprised even him because he was up on his feet in less than three seconds and was holding her tighter than he did at first.

"Let me go!!" She yelled but he wouldn't bulge. He could see her eyes, they were pure red. She was struggling to get out of his hold and he could feel her getting stronger.

"6, 6, 6! Listen to me. You have to calm down" but she was not listening. Her eyes had intent and he was the only one standing in her way. She struggled harder.

"2! 2!" 3 called out. He wasn't getting through to her and she was steadily gaining more power.

2 was surprised on different accounts. First, he had never heard 3 use that tone of voice before. Secondly, 3 had never asked him for help. The only person he had ever asked help from was 1. Pretty much every other person only ever asked 1 for help. He did not deliberate other surprising facts. He raced to room 6 had been kept for recovery. There he witnessed a heated battle. If it was a different occasion, he would have stopped to laugh because, for the first time, 6 was beating 3.

GMN-3 let 6 take her anger out on him while trying to restrain her without hurting her. She was beyond angry and didn't seem to be listening to what he was saying. What luck he had called 2 on time.

2 accessed the situation. The only way was to get 6 unconscious and 3 would not appreciate him knocking her out. The other option was to get the calming serum. He was back in seconds, syringe in hand. It was like she had a danger detector. She was waiting for him. He nearly ran into a fist. He barely dodged. She was fast, faster than she used to be. GMN-2 wondered what else the procedure did. Nicholas wasn't a willing subject therefore they needed 6 to calm down. He was distracted by the possibilities and nearly kissed the ground.

"What are you doing!?" GMN-3 asked as he tried to grab her in a firm hold and keep her in a position where 2 can administer the shot. For a split second, he noticed 2 spacing out. 2 came back. How could they forget that all their females had anger issues? She was relentless. It felt like she wanted to go somewhere and they were stopping her and she was taking out her anger on them. They were not planning to let her out of the room with her eyes red and her anger through the roof.

A sound from the door distracted all three of them. Before they could understand what was going on, the syringe was in 6's nape. It was quick, precise, and effective. 3 managed to catch 6 before she hit the ground. He looked towards where the movement came from.

"Keep the noise down" Nicholas was already in the hallway. 2 looked at his retreating back and mentally contemplated.

3 pulled out the syringe. He didn't know which took him off guard more, Nicholas' appearance or the swift effect of the calming serum. The smell caught his nose. This was not the calming serum that he had been administering to rowdy GMNs. This was enough to knock any one of them out immediately.

"You brought the wrong serum"

"I brought the serum she needed. A calming serum would have done nothing for her"

Regardless of the truth, he was still not comfortable with it. He felt his anger growing but squished if. For all he knew, she could have reacted adversely to it. He placed her gently on the bed.

"You may want to restrain her. We can't have a repeat of that"

True but uncomfortable besides,

"There is nothing strong enough to hold her here"

"You can always talk to Nicholas. I'm sure he must have something."

3 frowned. He was becoming more and more uncomfortable with every statement that came out of 2's mouth. Ask Nicholas, as if. Why would he be interested in what they were doing? It had no connection to him and the guy was more unapproachable. Although he helped them a few minutes ago, that was because the noise was disturbing him. Following that train of thought, he might be inclined to help them. Yet again, he might choose an alternative route.

One Hour later and after a more uncomfortable monologue with Nicholas, he was able to obtain something. Something he couldn't question why it was made but somehow knew the answer.

It was like an arm amour. It was quite heavy. Nicholas just ignored him as he explained, handed the device and slapped the manual on his chest then signaled the door. Now here he was with 2 trying to figure out how this worked.

"Just strap it on, there is a power button. What else do you need to know." 2 asked. He had no experience with this type of technology and neither did 3, so why was 3 looking at it as if he could decipher the thing?

3 hesitated. He was wary of gifts from 1 but more wary of anything from 4 that was not intended for 1 and now he had to deal with Nicholas. What was the purpose of this device? He wasn't even sure Nicholas heard a word he said or paid attention to him. What if this has an adverse effect? What if it causes damage no one could fix?

"I assume I'll be giving therapy and counseling sessions on the act of wearing clothing articles," 2 said drily.

They were losing time.

The stir from the bed seems to jolt him from his thoughts.

"It's now or not" 2 said

3 hastily strapped it to her right hand and the locking mechanism clicked into place tightening to fit the arm. 2 and 3 starred at 6 as she stirred again and then settled.

The two of them were curious. With the strength 6 exhibited the serum would have a shorter effect, why was she settling back?

3 tried to pull the arm vest off but he couldn't get a firm grasp on it without hurting her seeing as it had tightened around her right arm.

"What did the manual say?" 2 asked and 3 turned to him with an incredulous look. Wasn't he the one that was just pressuring him to put the damn thing on her?

He just ignored him and focused his attention on 6 checking her vitals. Everything was normal, he checked his watch. Why wasn't she waking up?

*****

Ruby was angry! She was boiling! She wanted to dismember them limb by limb because she knew. She knew they were responsible, she knew they sold her out. This gut-twisting anger was becoming unbearable. She tried to get out of this darn bed but her body was so heavy. She felt something being infused into her bloodstream. She knew it was making her weak but she couldn't find the strength to take it off. She could feel her anger dissipating and she didn't want that. She wanted to hold on to that anger, she wanted to use it, she needed that anger.

After battling and battling, she gave up. Whatever it was wanted nothing of her anger.

The people watching her were getting worried. Two hours later and she was yet to wake. There had been fluctuations but she hadn't opened her eyes. 3 had tried everything he could short of calling Nicholas to try and get it off but it wouldn't bulge. 2 who had been pressured into going to ask Nicholas came back empty. Nicholas had said "It will come off" and that was all.

When Ruby opened her eyes she could feel the stress in the room. When they noticed that her eyes were open, they breathed a sigh of relief. 3 was beside her in an instant. He was asking her if she was alright, if she needed something if there was something wrong and was worried when she just stared at him. For some reason, she burst into tears. She cried and cried and cried.

The tears took 2 and 3, off guard. At first, they didn't know how to react. 2 was the first to snap out. He nudged 3 signaling him to console her and then he gave them space. More like he couldn't get out of there fast enough . At this rate, he was going to see all the females here cry. It reminded him of Rosetta. He doubted any of them would pass through pain that would rival hers.

3 tried his best to console her. He had never been in this position before and didn't do this type of emotion but still, he felt for her. He didn't know the reason she was crying and when he consoled her, she lifted off the bed with all her strength, grabbed onto him, and cried harder. He tried patting her back and she cried harder.

9 and 7 heard 6 and rushed to the room. They opened the door and closed it back. They'll be back later.

After an hour or more, she finally calmed down but had hiccups. He gave her some water and she thanked him.

"Are you okay?" 3 asked and she nodded. He checked her vitals again and when he was assured that there was nothing physically wrong. He looked her over again. That was when he noticed. She looked physically different. Her features were more defined and she looked older than she did before but not too old just two years older. He checked her file, she is a year younger than him according to files.

She was lost in thought and didn't seem to be enjoying what she was thinking about. The burden that came with memories.

"What do you want to do?" He asked and she sighed

"First get rid of this," she said, pulling on the vest on her hand. Surprisingly, it came off. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and then another. When she opened her eyes they flickered before settling to their normal blue. She used her tongue to moisten her dry lips.

Just then the door opened and 2 walked in. 3 didn't bother with him and neither did he. He just walked to the bed and stood in front of it, his gaze fixed on 6.

"How are you?" He asked

"What do you think?" She asked and 2 nodded in understanding.

"Any weird feeling?" He asked

"No" and he nodded again

"How much do you remember?"

"Everything"

"What do you want to do with it?"

"I'll get my revenge if that's what you're asking"

3 opened his mouth to say something but 2 held up his hands and stopped him. Turning his attention to him,

"There will be plenty of time to bicker later. The bickering is between the both of you and i want no part in it" he turned back to 6.

"Did you know 4 before all this?"

"Nicholas? Heard a little about him but personally, No"

"What of Rosetta?"

"Yes but we weren't friends"

"Expected, given her background"

"Her mother?"

"No"

"Who betrayed you?" There was a visible pause after this question.

"What are you doing!?" 3's voice was higher looking at the troubled expression on 6's face even made him more pissed.

"My uncle," 6 said after a while and 2 nodded

"What connection did he have with Rosetta's mom"

"I don't know"

"Doc or Silver?"

"Still don't know " 2 nodded again after her reply

"Good to have you better, Ruby" With that he turned and left.

What's gotten into him? Was the first thing 3 thought when 2 left. Before he could that train of thought out , 2's head popped back in.

"Oh! I go next" and with that, he left again.

3 shoved the thoughts of 2 to the back of his mind and looked at 6. She just sat there staring into space. He had seen this look on 1 and 4. Their given names were hard for him to get used to. Before he could say anything she spoke.

"When you come out it's like the wrong side is up. The uncontrollable rage for the things you now know and the things you wish you had forgotten, the truth you now know and those yet to be uncovered." She paused again and he just stared at her. She continued "Why do you think he did it? He had the family company my father forfeited it, he had his legacy. Why go after me?"

3 looked at her. He didn't know how to answer her and if he did where will he start? She took a deep breath again. He could tell more questions were running through her head. Questions she didn't have answers to. They were plaguing her. She just regained consciousness from a major surgery and had to be induced, she didn't need more strain.

"You need to calm down. You can answer all your questions if you are calm enough to look for answers."

He hoped she would answer her questions and hoped more that it didn't chip away at the person she was or he knew her to be.

"Calm?" She turned to look him in the eye. "Calm" she mused again like she was digesting the meaning of the word. "Calm," she said, only this time it was laced with disgust and ridicule. She ended up here because she was calm. Calm, naive, and a hopeless believer in the virtues of humanity. Sure she was spoilt, a brat even but she never really hurt anyone. Yet…

3 watched her tentatively. He was sure her emotional state was very volatile making her mental state quite fragile and unpredictable.

She lay down back on the bed and tucked herself back in. 3 stared at her. She sat up again, fluffed her pillow, and settled back in.

"Tell me when I can move back to my room," she said

"Mmm?" Was the only thing his mouth was able to utter. He was completely blank.

"Make no mistake, I will rain hell and brimstone but to do that I need to recover"

"Mmmm?"

"I took your advice. Calmly look for answers one bulldozer at a time"

"Mmmmm?" His brain was still in shock mode.

"Do your best to clear me quickly" she said relaxing and closing her eyes. "Or I will start with you," she said flashing him her red eyes before closing them back again.

He barely stopped his mouth from producing that sound again but that didn't aid his brain. His backup was long gone and his brain seem to abandon him as well. He just turned as if on automation and headed for the door. He needed to calm down too. Hopefully, he'd be able to make sense of what hust happened.