Ultraxenopia (Project W. A. R. Book 1) by M. A. Phipps Read Free Book Online Page B

Richter returns to the
computer. I exhale, feeling his excitement in every long drawn-out moment and
hearing my unease in the unsteady palpitations of my racing heart. It sounds
frantic, and the tempo increases further when a large metal halo lowers around
my head. A number of small bars extend from the inside of the ring and press
forcefully against my skull in two-inch intervals.
    A loud gasp flies from my
lungs when the cold metal touches my skin.
    It holds me in place. I can
now only see Dr. Richter out of my peripheral vision, and I try to watch what
he’s doing as much as I’m able to. He seems to be entering information into the
computer. After tapping a few buttons, a panel in the countertop to his right
begins to open.
    A large hole appears in the
glass-like surface, and from this hole, a handful of small silver objects
ascend—not that unlike the metal bowl from before. They rise into the air as a
soft but brilliant glow illuminates around them. The light grows brighter as
they begin to move, orbiting around each other like tiny planets.
    Dr. Richter nods his head.
“Introduce the inhibitor.” His eyes lock on the female attendant beside me.
    I glance at the woman
holding the syringe. Suddenly, I’m not sure I made the right choice, after all.
She pushes the needle into one of the tubes in my hand, and a light blue liquid
flows into my vein. The sensation is strange—cold like ice and leaving behind a
bitter chill. Yet, it’s also hot like fire, burning its way through every
molecule in my body.
    The feeling is horrible,
and I want to scream out, but I’m distracted by the expression on Dr. Richter’s
face. The wild hunger in his eyes only further fuels my fear.
    “Thirty seconds until the
inhibitor will enter the subject’s brain,” a man announces from across the
room.
    I try to look around, but I
can’t move my head. The panic sets in when an automated female voice pierces
through the air, echoing in the backdrop.
    Counting down.
    “Twenty-five seconds
remaining,” the voice says.
    My breaths speed up, and
I’m abruptly overcome by an intense feeling of regret. It takes everything I
have to remind myself that this would’ve happened either way. Even if I hadn’t
agreed to it, Dr. Richter would’ve run these tests—these experiments. In the
end, I never really had a choice.
    “Twenty seconds remaining.”
    My heart is racing. I can
feel it. I can hear it.
    “Ten seconds remaining.”
    I don’t want this. I’m
scared.
    “Five seconds remaining.”
    I look over at Dr. Richter,
ready to beg him to abort. But he isn’t looking at me, and I can’t find my
voice.
    “Four . . . .”
    I watch as he presses a
single button, and the floating objects stop moving—almost as if time has
frozen around them.
    “Three . . . .”
    The silver objects pulse
outward now, glowing even brighter.
    “Two . . . .”
    I clench my eyes shut.
    “One . . . .”
    When the countdown hits
zero, I cry out. My eyes snap open, but everything around me is white, blinding
me.
    It’s as if a thousand
lightning bolts have all struck me at once, hitting me in the same isolated
place in my head. I gasp for air, trying to breathe through the pain and hoping
it’s over.
    My vision clears just
enough to see Dr. Richter. I follow his gaze, only to find that the silver
objects are moving once again.
    Now they’re still.
    Pulsing.
    And—
    “Again,” Dr. Richter says.
    I scream out when they hit
me. My body goes limp, despite the fact I’m held down.
    “Her heart rate is
dropping.” The woman’s voice is foggy. Distant.
    “Continue until there’s a
response,” he bites back.
    No more . . . . No more . .
. .
    But I can’t speak. My voice
is gone. I’m too weak.
    Over and over again, the
lightning hits. It always strikes in the same place, tearing through my head
like a wave of fire. I scream until I can’t scream any longer, and then I just
lie still, silently wishing for it all to end. The pain is too much. I