K7-152 – Approx. 14 Years Old

“You’ve been good,” the woman in the white lab coat said. If he could see through the mask, K7-152 knew her face would be cold, unfeeling, as if he was in trouble anyway for being good. “Taking all your medicine, not making noise. Mister Thurman is giving you a gift for your good behavior.”

K7-152 panicked. Gifts were never good. Gifts hurt. So he had been bad. But when? Was it because he threw up on the floor last night? From behind her back, the woman brought out a… K7-152 cocked his head.

“Pen and paper.” She set the white sheet in front of him on the floor.

There were lines and symbols on it he recognized, but couldn’t remember from where. He startled when her gloved hand took his and stuffed the pen in it. But it was the wrong hand. He couldn’t make signs with the right one. He had never used pen and paper before, but he knew the pen made signs. He knew it should be his left hand.

Don’t engage with the subject. He doesn’t understand you, came the voice of Mister Thurman over the speaker. He scared K7-152. He was also wrong. He understood every word.

“So how is he going to solve an equation?” She asked.

K7-152 would never have talked to Mister Thurman that way. Not even if he could properly form words.

No answer came, and she left. K7-152 looked at the mathematical problem. Gravitational constant, logarithmic ratios. Oh. Those were easy. He could do those. They almost had it right. A few switches here and there and it would make sense. But he was torn.

Stimulation was welcome. He was tired of sitting here and hurting, staring at white walls and floors. Always sick. But something warned him not...