The Watch – Part 232:

(Tom’s perspective)

‘Hello, Tom,’ Doctor Amanda said calmly when I had eventually opened my eyes. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Um… I’m feeling good, actually,’ I said. I was still on my back, staring up at the dangling light above my head. ‘Where am I?’

‘You are in the main headquarters of Sector 14,’ Doctor Amanda explained again. She looked to be about in her thirties, with her hair tied up in a bun and she was wearing a very expensive looking suit.

‘No, I mean, where is Sector 14?’

‘I’m afraid I cannot disclose that kind of information,’ she said with finality. She then didn’t waste any time getting to the point. ‘If you are ready, we would like you to answer a series of questions regarding who you are, how you got here and your position here before we can move on with anything else. Does that sound reasonable to you, Tom?’ she said in that tone that is usually used to force the other person to agree, but I wasn’t going to give in so easily.

‘And what will you do with that information?’ I asked.

‘I’m afraid I cannot disclose that kind of information,’ she repeated as if it was programmed in to her software. I was afraid she was going to say that. I don’t have anything to counter it at the moment, so I just nodded and kept quiet.

‘So, you’re expecting me to answer any question you have, without knowing what you are going to use that information for, and I am also expecting that depending on the information that I say will result in what you do with me from then on,’ I concluded.

‘May I just say, Tom,’ Doctor Amanda said, ‘that you have just confirmed that the information that you have is worthy enough for us to keep you here,’ she smiled. Oh, she’s good. I had better watch what I say because she is awesome at reading between the lines. ‘So whether or not you tell us, you will be staying here for the foreseeable future.’

‘Going by that logic, then I can stay here for as long as I want without having to tell you a thing.’

‘We simply cannot wait that long,’ she said, sternly.

‘Why, what’s happening?’ I asked. She looked at me with sharp eyes. She knew that I wasn’t going to play ball. I know what I am doing. I’m waiting for Sebastian. Any and all information that I have will be leaving when he comes and gets me. All I have to do is wait. But from the look in Amanda’s eyes, I had better watch what I say and how I act because I don’t want to push her to doing something that I am going to regret. I went silent.

‘Tom, as much as you would like to know what is happening, that is highly classified and I cannot risk just telling anyone who comes in here because we cannot take that high of a risk. I know that you must watch what you say and how you act, otherwise you would not have gone silent as quickly as you did, and so that is my first and only warning. If you wish for me to push further, I hope you will back down before that happens.’ That was a clear threat. The conversation was over. There was nothing else to be said. She turned to the left and spoke to the man wearing a white lab coat, holding a clipboard on his hands and standing next door to a computer with a stream of data scrolling up the screen at a rapid rate. He snapped his attention towards Amanda the moment that she addressed him.

‘Carl, can you go and tell Bernard that he is awake.’

‘Yes, Ma-am,’ he nodded, placed the clipboard down and hurried out of the room. The door slowly swung shut, clicking gently into place after a couple of seconds. As I was watching the door, I noticed that the room that I was in wasn’t at all that big. All this room has is a bed, a computer system, and two people: Amanda and I.

‘Who’s Bernard?’ I asked.

‘He’s in charge of making sure that there is a space free in the cells,’ she smiled coldly.

‘So you are going to chuck me in there until I speak, are you?’ I said.

‘You will remain there until ready, yes,’ she said. Although that more or less had the same meaning between the words, the way it was said doesn’t sound too promising. It’s as if I was going to have a very hectic time. It’s as if she is trying to scare me into talking. As much as I don’t want to talk, I don’t want to find out what she has in store for me either. I tried to make myself appear as casual as possible, but I don’t think I was successful. She noticed that, and it was then she turned her back on me, ending the conversation, making me think about what she had just said. She’s very good.

‘So we can’t come up with any sort of compromise, then?’ I asked. She turned back around to face me. She was not happy that I wasn’t giving into her methods so easily. But, her aura told me that I wasn’t the first to try and push the limits, and I won’t be the last. She knows exactly what to say and how to say it because at least something will sink in. She just has to find the correct sentence.

Instead, she decided that by not saying anything at all was the best course of action. She didn’t smile, or react in any way. She just looked at me with penetrative eyes, then turned her back once more. Now, that obviously means something. If they really want me to talk, then they can’t harm me… Well, to the point where I can’t speak anyway. Oh, heck, is that what’s going to happen? I don’t want to be subjected to some form of torture.

‘Torture is too strong a word, if I do say so myself, Tom,’ Doctor Amanda said, not even looking at me. I know that she can’t read my mind. She’s just experienced. She’s very, very good.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)