Shocking Lessons

"Put it on." Halt's voice slivered through the room, cold, commanding.

Elizabeth flinched away from him, but the guard's hand flashed out and caught the girl by the hair again. He shoved her back to her knees in front of the collar. A growl came from her throat as she glared up at Halt. For a second, Chris thought she would fight, but she only reached out with one trembling hand and picked up the collar.

The young woman's mouth twisted into a grimace as she held the steel linked chain in front of her. She closed her eyes, her nostrils flaring as she sucked in a breath. Chris waited, his own breath held, aware his turn would soon come.

"This is what you want, you disgusting—" Elizabeth broke off as a guard's fist sent her reeling across the floor.

Naked, she straightened on the ground, the collar still in hand. She looked at Halt, and then away again. With trembling hands, she lifted the collar to her throat. The click it made as it locked around her neck echoed loudly in the concrete room.

Halt smiled and clapped his hands. The guards grabbed Elizabeth by each arm and hauled her up. With a few shoves, they had her back in the cage. A pile of orange clothes was tossed in with her before the steel door swung shut. Then Halt turned on Chris, waiting naked inside his own cage.

"I suppose it's my turn then?" he asked with false bravado.

Halt stared Chris down, the grey eyes piercing him. Horror curled its way up Chris's throat as he felt his cheeks warming. His eyes drifted towards the other doctors, who still stood in silence. The guards approached his cage, one carrying a bundle of orange clothing, the other a steel linked collar identical to the one Elizabeth now wore.

"Move to the back of the cage," one of the guards ordered.

Clenching his fists, Chris stumbled back from the door as the guard flicked the latch and pushed it open. His body ached from his beating, and in the narrow space he didn't like his chances of besting the two men. He had already watched the girl attempt that approach, and fail. He would have to wait, bide his time until an opportunity arose.

Inside the cage, one guard collected his clothes, replacing them with the orange bundle. The collar was placed on top of the pile, and then the two men retreated, swinging the door shut behind them.

Chris looked at Halt, waiting for an order. When none was forthcoming, he crossed to the pile and picked up the collar. Raising an eyebrow, he tried and failed to suppress his sarcasm. "What are we, your pets?"

Halt smirked. "Would you like another lesson, Christopher?"

Letting out a long breath, Chris shook his head. He squeezed his fist, letting the cold metal of the collar dig into his flesh. His heart pounded hard in his chest, screaming a warning. Somehow, he knew if he obeyed, if he put on this collar, there would be no going back.

Dimly, he remembered a story his father had told him when he was younger. It had been almost ten years since the cancer had taken him, but he could still recall his father's voice with crystal clarity. His rough baritone drifted up from Chris's memories, as he described how the Mahouts in Thailand had once tamed their elephants.

The Mahouts placed chains around the legs of young elephants and attached them to heavy pegs in the ground. Whenever the young elephants tried to escape, the chain would contract, cutting into the elephant's leg, making it bleed. Eventually, the captive elephant would realize the futility of trying to escape.

As adults, the same chain and peg were used to restrain the giant creatures. And though by then they possessed the strength to escape the peg and chain, they never made the attempt again.

Silently, Chris wondered if that was to be his fate, if the collar in his hands would become the chain that bound him to a lifetime of servitude.

But looking at Halt, Chris knew he had no choice but to obey.

He raised the collar to his neck with deliberate slowness, as though he were approaching some great precipice. A tingle ran through him as the metal touched his skin, and a terrifying dread closed around his throat. A voice screamed for him to run, to hurl the collar away from him.

Instead, he closed his eyes and pulled the collar closed. The steel links slid across his flesh, icy to the touch, and came together with a loud click.

Struggling to breathe, Chris sank to his knees and fumbled for the pile of clothes. A sudden, desperate shame at his nakedness took him. He felt exposed, as though his nudity highlighted his new bondage, relegating him to nothing but an animal.

Quickly he scrambled into the bright orange uniform, and then sat with his knees pulled up to his chest. A tide of despair rose in his throat, but he pushed it down, struggling to keep a flicker of hope burning. The collar's icy grip seemed to tighten, stealing away his breath. A claustrophobic scream grew in his throat as he gasped for air.

Halt only gave a satisfied nod and stepped back from the cage.

Glancing at the other cage, Chris saw that Elizabeth had managed to pull on her own orange jumpsuit. The heavy fabric clung to her frame, and Chris couldn't help but think of what he'd glimpsed of her while naked. A bruise showed on her forehead when her clear blue eyes flickered in his direction. His cheeks warmed as she raised an eyebrow. Her wild black curls hung around her shoulders, the ends jagged and split, as though they'd been cut by a knife.

Taking a breath, the young woman pulled herself to her feet. The collar flashed around her neck, an all too vivid reminder of their new position. Her fists clenched and her lips drew back in a snarl, but otherwise she remained quiet.

Halt gave a satisfied smirk. "Very good. I'm pleased to see you're fast learners. Perhaps you will surprise me yet." Chris flinched as Halt clapped his hands again. "Now, before you are taken to your new quarters, I must warn you: I have little patience for agitators. Dissent will not be tolerated. Those collars are more than they appear. Do not attempt to remove them. Any effort to tamper with them without the correct key will have…unpleasant results."

Chris swallowed hard. A trickle of sweat ran down his neck and he tasted bile in his throat. He clenched his teeth and fought to keep himself from throwing up whatever remained in his stomach. In the opposite cage, Elizabeth showed no sign she'd heard Halt's words. She stood with her eyes closed, one arm pressed against the chain-link wall, as though that was the only thing keeping her upright.

When neither of them spoke, Halt continued: "The collars are a disciplinary tool, to rein in unruly subjects when they step out of line."

Leaning against the wall of his cage, Chris stifled a yawn, unwilling to show his fear. "And how exactly do they 'punish us'?"

The doctor glared at him, then gave a slow shake of his head. "Perhaps you are not as quick to learn as I thought."

He pulled down his sleeve, revealing a sleek black watch on his wrist, all shining metal and glass. As he tapped its surface, the screen glowed bright blue. Another tap, and a loud beep came from Chris's collar. The hairs stood up on his neck as Halt looked at him.

"Your collars are capable of delivering an electric shock of five hundred volts, at up to one hundred milliamps. They are activated remotely by these watches, which you will find all personnel within the facility are equipped with." A slow grin spread across Halt's face. "A single swipe of the screen, by any doctor or guard, and all collars within a twenty-foot radius are activated. Or an individual subject's collar may be chosen at our discretion. Perhaps you need a demonstration?"

Silently, Chris shook his head. From the corner of his eye, he saw the girl make the same gesture.

Halt watched them, his eyes aglow with a strange light. "You don't seem too enthusiastic," he laughed. "Too bad." Before anyone could move, he pressed a thumb to his watch.

Chris's collar gave a loud beep. He opened his mouth, but before any sound could escape, fingers of fire wrapped around his throat, cutting off his cry. His jaw locked as electricity surged through his body. His back arched and the strength went from his legs, sending him toppling to the concrete. A burning cramp tore into his muscles as he thrashed against the ground. The water that still pooled beneath him soaked through his clothes, but he barely noticed.

A buzzing filled his ears, but through it, he could hear Halt's voice. "This is twenty milliamps. Enough to deliver a painful shock, even freeze your motor functions. Not enough to kill—at least not when delivered for short periods of time."

Another beep sounded, and the flow of electricity ceased. Chris slumped to the ground, eyes closed, a low moan rattling in his chest. The sudden absence of pain was a sweet relief. He sucked in an eager breath, the cold air burning his throat.

As the last twitch in his muscles ceased, he cracked open his eyes and looked through the wire. He had fallen on his side and now found himself looking across at Elizabeth. She was on the ground as well, her tangled hair covering her face, her limbs splayed out across the concrete. Her forehead sported a nasty cut where she must have struck the ground.

Halt stood between the cages, the same dark grin twisting his face. His eyes found Chris's, and the smile spread.

"Welcome, Christopher and Elizabeth, to the Genome Project."