Rupi brushed by Elizabeth when she was beckoned, not giving the receptionist another glance. She kept her eyes down however as she sits in one of the chairs before the man’s desk, remaining calm even as the door was shut behind her in an ominous fashion. She did not budge, keeping her eyes forward on his empty chair, even when he grabbed her chin to force his gaze at him. She did not reply to his insulting greeting, though it stung deeply. When she was released, the stinging remnants of his fingers could still be felt on her caramel-hued jaw. She took a hitched inhale through her nose.
When the report was slapped down, she didn’t reach for it. She could judge simply by the title what it was. Rupi fought hard to keep her emotions under lock and key. Her heart was racing, pounding in her chest.
Natalya Silvka.
She remained straight-faced as Dr. Füner went from calm to raging mad. She knew his sort. She was not going to give him the pleasure of looking scared or meek. Her cold face was firmly set in her expression. She defiantly returned his gaze as he got in her face. That was a mistake. Without warning she was struck, the smack resonating through the room, her cheek burning red with pain as her head jerked to the side with the slap. Painful tingles fluttered throughout her jaw and the indignation burned even brighter in her chest. Yet slowly she brought her gaze back, facing the doctor as he roared at her. She had said nothing yet. Spoken no word, whether in greeting or defense. She knew nothing would satisfy this man for her actions. Besides, Rupi herself knew she had bent the rules a little.
How ironic it was, that sick doctors could take advantage of helpless patients as they saw fit, but when Rupi tried to save one, she was suddenly anathema.
When the radio was grabbed, finally her discipline broke. She narrowed her eyes at the man. “What are you doing?” She finally asked, her accent full of concern, never worrying about herself even as he grabbed her head roughly and forced her to watch. She didn’t need to be goaded, but she knew he got his sick kicks out of punishing her, just as Rufio did with others. Then her eyes went wide with fright, as Füner turned the screen towards her. She gripped the ends of her chair when she saw what it was.
No! Natalya! She screamed internally. But there was nothing she could do. Her cold face…finally broke.
Still she said nothing. Her chest began to rise and fall as Rupi’s breathing got shallow and fast. Her open went ajar as she was forced to watch. Tears stung at her eyes, a sensation she had not felt in long years. But she fought it all back. She wouldn’t give this sick bastard a show. Nor would she try to look away. She could only watch helplessly…as Natalya was beaten down. She felt she could feel each savage blow of the baton, her limbs jolting as if she was shocked herself. Each minute felt stretched as hours. But Rupi watched. Not only the blonde, but each guard as well. She took note. She remembered details. By the time the girl was chained to a wall in Cell Block C, her hands were white knuckled with rage as they gripped the armrest of her chair.
They groaned and creaked under the pressure.
But Rupi could do nothing. Her hair was seized roughly again and this time her eyes met Füner, burning full of pure hatred. Her bottom lip quivered. She did not care for herself. She had endured worse than being slapped around and having her hair pulled. “The Board cares about results.” She hissed back, finally finding her voice. “And when the results are only dead patient after dead patient, they are going to wonder about you, Hans.” She replied back defiantly, not caring that she was in his absolute power. She only had one shot to convince him otherwise.
“They are going to ask what is the purpose of this Insitution, if all we produce is bodies. What is the point of all this high-tech equipment, if all we have to show are body bags. They dump all this money into this program and for what? To kill a bunch of miserable individuals brought here against their will? They could send a hit squad for a fraction of the price to accomplish the same. No, the Board wants results for their dollars. They want the secrets of their powers, not to gaze at fatality statistics on some piece of paper.” She gave Hans her most fierce glare, unwilling to back down. “And you know I’m the one who finds out those secrets. I’m the one who achieves the progress. I won’t promise this won’t happen again. If that’s a problem,” Rupi closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and smiled, “then you’ll have to kill me. And if that is your wish, you might as well cut off your right hand with your left, for you won’t be able to match my success with any other of the fools you call doctors around here.”
She closed her eyes again, though her smile grew wider. She wasn’t afraid for herself. “Put her down if you want.” She said, lying. “But the only result you would show to the Board is that you are incapable of managing anything for them. Go on Hans, give them a useless body count to make up for their investment. But you know I’m right with what I do.”
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